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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tear — from crying
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. kid — to tease
  5. current — of water
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. current — happening now
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. plane — a tool
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ground — the earth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. current — electric
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. kid — child

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