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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. mug — a face
  4. rock — a stone
  5. staff — employees
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rash — hasty
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mug — a cup
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. squash — the sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. net — for catching
  20. staff — a stick
  21. saw — the tool
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. squash — to crush

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