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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — to play on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — to crush
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bear — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. plane — a tool
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. swing — music
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. squash — the vegetable

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