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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. swing — in golf
  5. band — a music group
  6. bark — to shout
  7. band — a ring
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. swing — music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. plane — a tool
  14. chest — a box
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bat — the animal
  24. swing — to play on

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