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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. club — for golf
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. club — a group
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bat — for baseball

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