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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. plane — a tool
  3. can — a tin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. shower — to wash
  12. squash — to crush
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stand — to bear
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. squash — the sport
  22. row — to paddle
  23. chair — a leader
  24. can — to be able to

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