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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. key — the most important part
  3. net — after costs
  4. cap — a hat
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. net — in sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. plane — a tool
  23. net — for catching
  24. bat — the animal

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