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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lean — thin
  3. file — a tool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lean — to bend
  7. plane — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. file — a document
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. spring — of water
  15. chip — for betting
  16. swing — music
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rest — a break
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chip — to eat
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. spring — the season

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