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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. row — a line
  3. rush — hurry
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. dip — to sink
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ball — a dance
  16. plane — a tool
  17. shower — rain
  18. row — to paddle
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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