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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. file — a tool
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. file — a line of people
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wound — an injury
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. file — a document
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. mine — for digging
  24. racket — for tennis

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