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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fine — all right
  5. craft — a skill
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. row — a line
  12. pit — a hole
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. spring — the season
  18. craft — boats
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fine — high quality
  24. row — to paddle

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