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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to click
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pop — soda
  13. spell — letters
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. track — a path
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. track — a song

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