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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. capital — a city
  3. ball — a dance
  4. row — to paddle
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. drill — army training
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. plane — a tool
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. row — a line
  13. capital — money
  14. lean — thin
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. drill — a practice
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lean — to bend
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pass — a permit
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. ball — a round shape

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