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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. net — after costs
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fall — the season
  8. land — to come down
  9. pop — music
  10. perch — the fish
  11. net — for catching
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. band — a music group
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — ground
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. land — a country
  19. fall — to drop
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — soda
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. plane — a tool
  24. net — in 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