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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. sharp — clever
  5. land — a country
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. land — to come down
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. craft — a skill
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. degree — temperature
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. degree — from a university
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. craft — boats
  17. degree — an amount
  18. chip — to eat
  19. root — of a word
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. land — ground
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. root — the cause

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