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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. swing — music
  7. foot — a measure
  8. swing — to play on
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pound — a weight
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rock — music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rock — a stone
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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