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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. key — in music
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. snap — to click
  13. plane — a tool
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. key — the most important part
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cell — a phone
  22. row — a line
  23. mine — for digging
  24. temple — a place of worship

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