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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. net — after costs
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. tube — a container
  8. court — for sport
  9. cue — for pool
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. file — a document
  13. court — of a king
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — of law
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cue — a signal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cue — a hint
  22. file — a tool
  23. rush — hurry
  24. net — in sport

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