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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hand — help
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pitch — completely
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bass — low music
  24. mouse — for a computer

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