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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. ball — a dance
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. net — for catching
  6. drill — the tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. drill — a practice
  9. net — in sport
  10. march — the month
  11. root — the cause
  12. pound — a weight
  13. drill — army training
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. ball — a great time
  18. root — of a word
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. net — after costs
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. root — of a plant
  24. plane — an aircraft

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