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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. pop — to visit
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. rule — a law
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rule — government
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pop — music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. capital — a city
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fall — the season
  18. capital — money
  19. root — of a plant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pop — soda
  23. fall — to drop
  24. straw — a straw man

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