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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mug — a face
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spring — a coil
  8. key — for a lock
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. key — the most important part
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stand — to bear
  20. plane — a tool
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. key — in music
  23. drill — army training
  24. mug — to rob

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