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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 116 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. game — wild animals
  4. drill — a practice
  5. squash — to crush
  6. land — a country
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. land — ground
  10. bass — low music
  11. land — to come down
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. game — a match
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. drill — army training
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. squash — the sport
  24. drill — the tool

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