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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. club — for golf
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bat — the animal
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cue — a hint
  13. club — a group
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. spell — letters
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. kid — child
  24. spell — magic

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