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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mate — to breed
  10. scale — in music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. shower — rain
  15. race — the arms race
  16. plane — a tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. race — a contest
  19. mate — a partner
  20. race — humankind
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. scale — size or range

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