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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. net — after costs
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. net — in sport
  7. scale — in music
  8. rule — government
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rule — a law
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bore — to tire
  18. net — for catching
  19. last — finally
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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