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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pass — a permit
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. shower — to wash
  7. hand — in cards
  8. shower — rain
  9. net — after costs
  10. hand — help
  11. net — in sport
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. roll — a list
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. net — for catching

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