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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. net — after costs
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. net — in sport
  5. game — a match
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. staff — employees
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. net — for catching
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. chair — a leader
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. staff — employees
  20. mark — a trace
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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