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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. last — final
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. net — in sport
  6. suit — to fit
  7. net — after costs
  8. ball — a dance
  9. last — to go on
  10. land — to come down
  11. prune — to trim
  12. plane — a tool
  13. suit — in cards
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. land — a country
  18. prune — to trim
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. suit — clothes
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. last — finally
  24. land — ground

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