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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. key — in music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. shower — to wash
  5. kid — to tease
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — certain
  16. plane — a tool
  17. kid — child
  18. shower — rain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rest — a break
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bound — tied together

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