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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lie · leaves · kid · jam · squash · plane · spring · bat

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. kid — child
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. squash — to crush
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. spring — of water
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. spring — the season
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lie — to recline
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. plane — a tool

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