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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. land — to come down
  5. drill — a practice
  6. plane — a tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. staff — employees
  11. land — ground
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. land — a country
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mouse — the animal

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