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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rock — a stone
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. chest — of your body
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. foot — a measure
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. roll — a list
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. craft — boats
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. craft — a skill

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