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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. last — to go on
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. dip — to sink
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spring — a coil
  9. court — of a king
  10. plane — a tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. last — finally
  17. court — of law
  18. spring — of water
  19. last — final
  20. court — for sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spring — the season

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