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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. 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. rest — a break
  2. net — for catching
  3. mark — a trace
  4. kid — child
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. spell — a short time
  11. net — in sport
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pop — music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — letters
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pop — soda
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spell — magic
  22. mate — to breed
  23. net — after costs
  24. 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