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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 124 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. track — a path
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — to keep track
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bat — the animal
  8. object — an aim
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. saw — the tool
  11. object — to protest
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. plane — a tool
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — a song
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. present — a gift
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. present — the time now
  22. saw — the tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. last — final

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