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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bound — obliged
  7. tear — from crying
  8. key — for a lock
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cap — a lid
  11. key — in music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. tear — to rip
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bound — certain
  18. row — a line
  19. bound — tied together
  20. chair — a leader
  21. roll — a cake
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. roll — a list

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