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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rest — a break
  4. net — for catching
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fine — high quality
  12. plane — a tool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. net — after costs
  16. fine — all right
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wax — to grow
  23. game — a match
  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