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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cue — for pool
  8. spell — letters
  9. bass — low music
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cue — a signal
  14. race — humankind
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. spell — magic
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bass — the fish

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