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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. plane — a tool
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chest — a box
  5. pop — soda
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chest — of your body
  8. vault — a safe
  9. squash — the sport
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bass — the fish
  14. board — to get on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pop — to visit
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bass — low music
  21. pop — music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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