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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. squash — the sport
  6. current — of water
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. current — happening now
  10. wake — a trail
  11. root — of a plant
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. row — a line
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. current — electric
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. squash — to crush
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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