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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. plane — a tool
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mine — for digging
  9. last — to go on
  10. track — a path
  11. craft — boats
  12. pit — in a race
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. last — finally
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. track — a song
  22. last — final
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pit — a hole

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