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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · plane · leaves · squash · game · kid

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. game — wild animals
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. kid — to tease
  7. plane — a tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. game — a match
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cap — a hat
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. squash — to crush

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