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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bear — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spell — letters
  16. scale — in music
  17. last — to go on
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. last — final
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. last — finally

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