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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. game — a match
  4. row — a line
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. row — to paddle
  15. plane — a tool
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rock — music

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