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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. plane — a tool
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spell — letters
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. track — a path
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — low music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kid — to tease
  22. sharp — clever
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. sharp — exactly

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