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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. object — to protest
  7. court — of a king
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. kid — child
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. court — of law
  18. plane — a tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. object — an aim
  21. kid — to tease
  22. object — a thing
  23. bass — low music
  24. plane — in geometry

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