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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. plane — a tool
  3. row — to paddle
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. row — a line
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. net — after costs
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mark — a grade
  11. swing — music
  12. field — a subject
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. net — in sport
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. swing — to play on
  18. net — for catching
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tube — a container
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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