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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. band — a music group
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. deal — to handle
  9. band — a ring
  10. march — the month
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. ball — a dance
  15. row — a line
  16. march — music
  17. row — to paddle
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. march — the month
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kid — to tease

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