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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. club — for golf
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. chair — a leader
  8. club — a group
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pit — in a race
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. club — for dancing
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. field — for sport
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pit — a hole
  24. plane — in geometry

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