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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. plane — a tool
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spell — a short time
  10. key — for a lock
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mug — a cup
  13. spell — magic
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fork — in a road
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spell — letters
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. mug — a face
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chest — a box

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