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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. present — a gift
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cue — a hint
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. band — a ring
  11. cue — a signal
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. object — a thing
  16. cue — for pool
  17. present — the time now
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. present — there
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. scale — size or range
  24. band — a music group

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