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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hand — help
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. track — a song
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. hand — in cards
  20. last — final
  21. track — a path
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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