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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. drill — a practice
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. tube — a container
  6. ball — a dance
  7. plane — a tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rush — hurry
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. club — for golf
  14. drill — the tool
  15. squash — to crush
  16. tube — the underground
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ball — a great time
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. band — a ring
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. tube — in a tire

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