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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bear — the animal
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. roll — a list
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. file — a tool
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. track — a path
  22. roll — a cake
  23. file — a document
  24. track — a song

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