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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. net — for catching
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. suit — to fit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to click
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. drill — the tool
  12. net — after costs
  13. drill — army training
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. suit — clothes
  17. plane — a tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. net — in sport
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. suit — in cards
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. calf — of the leg

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