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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. vault — a safe
  5. field — for sport
  6. drill — army training
  7. bass — the fish
  8. plane — a tool
  9. dip — to sink
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. drill — the tool
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — a subject
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. toast — bread
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. drill — a practice
  20. field — farmland
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. plane — an aircraft

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