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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. roll — a cake
  8. present — a gift
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. field — a subject
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. suit — clothes
  19. field — for sport
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. file — a document
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. roll — a list
  24. field — farmland

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