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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. scale — in music
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. prune — to trim
  15. plane — a tool
  16. last — finally
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. mine — for digging

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