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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. spring — of water
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spring — a coil
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. spring — the season
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fork — in a road
  15. hand — help
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mark — a grade
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. present — the time now
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. plane — a tool

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