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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. plane — a tool
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rock — music
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mark — a grade
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. plane — in geometry

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