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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pit — a hole
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wake — a trail
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. band — a music group
  12. pit — in a race
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fall — the season
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wake — before a funeral

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