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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. plane — a tool
  3. land — a country
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a tool
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. file — a line of people
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. tear — to rip
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. land — to come down
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. tear — from crying
  22. file — a document
  23. tear — from crying
  24. sharp — clever

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