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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. file — a line of people
  5. suit — to fit
  6. track — a path
  7. chest — a box
  8. track — a song
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. file — a document
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — army training
  18. file — a tool
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — in cards
  21. drill — the tool
  22. plane — a tool
  23. drill — a practice
  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