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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. roll — a list
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. spring — the season
  9. fine — all right
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mug — a face
  12. rock — a stone
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fine — high quality
  15. spring — of water
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rock — music
  24. chest — of your body

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