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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fine — all right
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. snap — to click
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fine — high quality
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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