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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. spell — magic
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. file — a line of people
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. file — a document
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spell — letters
  10. bear — the animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a tool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spell — a short time
  15. chip — for betting
  16. shower — rain
  17. bear — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chip — to eat
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chip — in a computer

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