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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pop — soda
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. plane — a tool
  8. tube — a container
  9. pop — to visit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wake — a trail
  13. ball — a dance
  14. drill — army training
  15. pop — music
  16. hand — help
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. club — for golf
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hand — in cards
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. club — a group

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