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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. game — a match
  3. plane — a tool
  4. ball — a dance
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. staff — a stick
  12. track — a path
  13. staff — employees
  14. ball — a great time
  15. drill — the tool
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mark — a trace
  19. staff — employees
  20. track — a song
  21. ground — a position
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. drill — army training

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