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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. snap — to click
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. spring — of water
  7. tube — the underground
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. board — to get on
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rock — a stone
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. season — of the year
  14. rock — music
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. board — a committee
  19. tube — a container
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. season — in sport
  24. plane — a tool

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