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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rash — a series
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. track — a song
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. track — to keep track
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pop — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pop — soda
  16. rash — hasty
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. saw — the tool
  21. plane — a tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. track — a path

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