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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bass — low music
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mate — to breed
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fall — the season
  21. chest — a box
  22. perch — the fish
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. chair — a professorship

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