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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. chest — a box
  3. court — of a king
  4. squash — the sport
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. track — to keep track
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pound — a weight
  12. court — for sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. track — a song
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bat — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. sharp — clever
  21. track — a path
  22. chest — of your body
  23. court — of law
  24. sharp — with an edge

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