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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — help
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chest — of your body
  8. object — to protest
  9. hand — in cards
  10. object — a thing
  11. bound — tied together
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. chest — of your body
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — in sport
  20. chest — a box
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. object — an aim
  24. bulb — for light

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