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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. capital — money
  4. lean — thin
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. kid — child
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. last — to go on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. last — final
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. capital — a city
  22. kid — to tease
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. capital — a big letter

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