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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mark — a grade
  5. file — a document
  6. object — to protest
  7. bat — the animal
  8. file — a tool
  9. shower — rain
  10. file — a line of people
  11. shower — to wash
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. object — an aim
  16. drill — a practice
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. saw — the tool
  21. object — a thing
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. plane — a tool

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