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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.

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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. drill — army training
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. plane — a tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. capital — money
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. drill — a practice
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. capital — a city

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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