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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cue — for pool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fine — all right
  5. band — a ring
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. drill — army training
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. chest — a box
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. drill — the tool
  21. band — a music group
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cue — a signal
  24. court — of a king

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