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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: plane · squash · shower · key · bound · sharp · row · chair

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. key — the most important part
  3. plane — a tool
  4. squash — to crush
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bound — certain
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. shower — to wash
  10. key — for a lock
  11. chair — a leader
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bound — tied together
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. row — a line
  17. bound — obliged
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. key — in music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. squash — the sport
  24. row — a quarrel

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