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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. staff — a stick
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bound — certain
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. staff — employees
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rash — a series
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bound — tied together
  23. kid — child
  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