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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. shower — rain
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mark — a trace
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cell — in biology
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cell — a phone
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. drill — army training
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. swing — music
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. plane — a tool
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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