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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. craft — boats
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. roll — a list
  15. key — the most important part
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bulb — for light
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. key — in music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. plane — a tool

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