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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. game — a match
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bound — obliged
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — certain

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