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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. fine — all right
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. season — of the year
  7. sharp — clever
  8. kid — to tease
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. kid — child
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — finally
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fine — high quality
  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