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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. chest — a box
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cue — a signal
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cabinet — ministers

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