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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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Word bank
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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. game — a match
  3. suit — clothes
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. ball — a great time
  7. game — wild animals
  8. plane — a tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. suit — to fit
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. suit — in cards
  14. chair — a leader
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. drill — army training
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pass — a permit
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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