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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. track — a song
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. track — a path
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. drill — army training
  9. chest — of your body
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. track — to keep track
  12. sharp — clever
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chest — of your body
  17. plane — a tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ball — a great time
  22. drill — a practice
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chest — a box

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