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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. march — music
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. season — in sport
  6. board — a committee
  7. land — ground
  8. spring — of water
  9. land — a country
  10. march — the month
  11. plane — a tool
  12. march — the month
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. spring — the season
  15. land — to come down
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stand — to bear
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. board — to get on
  24. season — of the year

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