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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. 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. rock — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. swing — in golf
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rock — a stone
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. game — a match
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. swing — music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. swing — to play on
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. 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