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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. drill — the tool
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. drill — army training
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bound — tied together
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. drill — a practice
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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