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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. plane — a tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fall — to drop
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wind — moving air
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chip — for betting
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mine — an explosive

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