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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. club — for golf
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bat — the animal
  11. club — a group
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. hand — help

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