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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. plane — a tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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