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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 124 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. current — electric
  4. roll — a cake
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. file — a line of people
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. file — a tool
  11. roll — a list
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. plane — a tool
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mark — a grade
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. file — a document
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. plane — in geometry

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