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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · firm · foot · hand · ball · mine · plane · kid

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rock — music
  6. foot — a measure
  7. firm — decided
  8. plane — a tool
  9. kid — child
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. firm — steady
  15. rock — a stone
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. firm — a company
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. ball — a dance
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. kid — to tease

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