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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 116 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. clip — a video
  4. spring — a coil
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spring — of water
  8. drill — army training
  9. spring — the season
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. clip — to cut

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