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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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. drill — army training
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wake — a trail
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. ball — a great time
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bear — to put up with

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