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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cap — of ice
  5. spell — letters
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cap — a lid
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chest — a box
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cap — a hat
  19. spell — magic
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. plane — a tool
  24. spell — a short time

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