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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. game — a match
  3. last — finally
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. last — final
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bark — to shout
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. last — to go on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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