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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — in cards
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — help
  8. roll — a list
  9. march — music
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. roll — a cake
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. racket — for tennis
  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