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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. scale — in music
  3. row — a line
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. field — a subject
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rush — hurry
  12. field — for sport
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. field — farmland
  18. kid — child
  19. scale — size or range
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ruler — a monarch

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