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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pop — music
  10. ball — a great time
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pop — to visit
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pop — soda
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. sharp — with an edge

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