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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. land — ground
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. ball — a great time
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. drill — army training
  8. present — there
  9. land — a country
  10. plane — a tool
  11. land — to come down
  12. stand — to bear
  13. present — the time now
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. present — a gift
  17. ball — a dance
  18. prune — to trim
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stand — for spectators

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