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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. land — a country
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mug — a face
  5. land — to come down
  6. cap — of ice
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. land — ground
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cap — a lid
  12. field — for sport
  13. cue — for pool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. field — farmland
  20. wind — moving air
  21. dip — to sink
  22. field — a subject
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cap — a hat

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