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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. scale — size or range
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. fine — all right
  6. scale — in music
  7. hand — help
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fine — high quality
  10. row — a line
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. scale — for weighing

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