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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. lean — thin
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. hand — help
  13. net — for catching
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. sharp — clever
  16. net — in sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cold — not warm
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. net — after costs

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