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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — in cards
  5. plane — a tool
  6. present — the time now
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. march — music
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tube — a container
  11. rock — music
  12. present — there
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — the animal
  16. present — a gift
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ground — a position
  19. tube — the underground
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bat — in an idiom

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