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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. drill — the tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. drill — a practice
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. plane — a tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. rash — a series
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. hand — in cards
  24. straw — dry grass

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