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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. plane — a tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. net — for catching
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. shower — rain
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. net — after costs

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