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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. object — a thing
  3. pop — to visit
  4. object — to protest
  5. kid — child
  6. mug — a face
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. object — an aim
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pop — music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mug — a cup
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mug — to rob
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pop — soda
  24. plane — an aircraft

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