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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. court — of a king
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. squash — the sport
  7. track — a song
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — a path
  10. court — of law
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. file — a document
  17. bass — low music
  18. court — for sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. file — a tool
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pound — a weight

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