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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. last — final
  3. cap — a lid
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — of ice
  6. prune — to trim
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cap — a hat
  10. vault — a safe
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — to eat
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. chip — for betting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com