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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. mate — to breed
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mate — a partner
  9. stock — shares
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. swing — music
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. game — a match
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. game — wild animals
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mate — a friend
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. file — a document

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