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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. shower — rain
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. staff — a stick
  7. ball — a dance
  8. staff — employees
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ground — a position
  14. fine — all right
  15. last — final
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. branch — a division
  18. staff — employees
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. last — finally
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. last — to go on
  24. plane — a tool

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