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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · stick · track · sharp · plane · row · ball · chair

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. track — to keep track
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rock — music
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. row — a line
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. row — to paddle
  21. sharp — clever
  22. track — a song
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. track — a path

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