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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hand — help
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. field — a subject
  9. rock — a stone
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wound — an injury
  12. plane — a tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. field — farmland
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rock — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wound — an injury

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