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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lean — to bend
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. hand — help
  8. spring — the season
  9. content — the amount
  10. dip — to sink
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stand — to bear
  13. spring — of water
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spring — a coil
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. content — happy
  22. sharp — clever
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lean — thin

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