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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — after costs
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wind — moving air
  7. net — for catching
  8. track — a song
  9. season — of the year
  10. track — a path
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bass — low music
  14. rest — a break
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — music
  17. net — in sport
  18. season — in sport
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. swing — in golf
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bass — the fish

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