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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mate — a friend
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. net — in sport
  5. ball — a great time
  6. band — a ring
  7. net — for catching
  8. current — of water
  9. mate — a partner
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fall — to drop
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ball — a dance
  18. current — happening now
  19. net — after costs
  20. fall — to drop
  21. current — electric
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. band — a music group

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