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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mug — a face
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — ground
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ball — a dance
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — a country
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. tear — to rip
  16. clip — a video
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mug — to rob
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pound — a weight

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