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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cap — a lid
  7. plane — a tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. key — the most important part
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ball — a great time
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — in cards
  20. key — for a lock
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. key — in music
  23. hand — help
  24. foot — the bottom

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