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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. chip — to eat
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. roll — a list
  16. kid — to tease
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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