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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. band — a music group
  5. file — a document
  6. bound — tied together
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bound — certain
  9. band — a ring
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bound — obliged
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. file — a line of people
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. vault — a safe
  23. file — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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