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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pit — in a race
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. key — in music
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rush — hurry
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. kid — child
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. key — for a lock

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