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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — a grade
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — a trace
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. current — electric
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. current — happening now
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. current — of water
  22. cue — a hint
  23. kid — child
  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