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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bat — the animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a document
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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