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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. file — a tool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. file — a line of people
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. track — a song
  11. file — a document
  12. track — to keep track
  13. net — for catching
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. track — a path
  17. net — after costs
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. shower — to wash
  20. plane — a tool
  21. net — in sport
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. ruler — for measuring

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