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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. shower — to wash
  4. tube — the underground
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pit — a hole
  7. club — for dancing
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. club — a group
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. clip — a video
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. shower — rain
  20. pit — in a race
  21. tube — a container
  22. plane — a tool
  23. club — for golf
  24. clip — for paper

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