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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — after costs
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bore — to tire
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. track — a song
  10. spring — the season
  11. bore — to drill
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. net — for catching
  14. field — a subject
  15. track — a path
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. field — for sport
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. field — farmland
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. net — in sport
  24. track — to keep track

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