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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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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: net · drill · plane · object · tear · kid · cue · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. net — after costs
  5. object — to protest
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. net — for catching
  9. object — a thing
  10. net — in sport
  11. drill — army training
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mate — a partner
  15. tear — to rip
  16. drill — the tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. object — an aim
  19. cue — for pool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — a practice
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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