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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — to breed
  4. chair — a leader
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. squash — to crush
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. drill — army training
  18. squash — the sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — the season
  24. drill — the tool

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