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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 120 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cap — a hat
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. swing — to play on
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. court — of a king
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. swing — music
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cap — a lid
  20. court — for sport
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. swing — in golf
  23. court — of law
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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