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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. net — after costs
  3. pit — a hole
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. squash — to crush
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. charge — a price
  8. net — in sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. net — for catching
  11. charge — in control
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fall — to drop
  19. charge — electricity
  20. kid — to tease
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. kid — child

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