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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fall — the season
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bat — the animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. net — in sport
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. net — for catching
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mate — to breed

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