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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. track — a path
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a song
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wind — moving air
  11. drill — army training
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. squash — to crush
  14. drill — the tool
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kick — in football
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wind — moving air
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. plane — in geometry

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