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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wound — an injury
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mark — a trace
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. kick — in football
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cue — a signal
  22. file — a tool
  23. drill — the tool
  24. file — a document

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