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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 116 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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. track — a song
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. tube — the underground
  5. shower — to wash
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. tube — a container
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. shower — rain
  16. track — a path
  17. saw — the tool
  18. track — to keep track

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