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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. spring — of water
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rule — a law
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spring — the season
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. scale — in music
  19. rule — government
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. court — of law
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pitch — completely

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