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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cell — a phone
  13. row — a line
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. saw — the tool
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitch — completely
  21. row — to paddle
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. sharp — exactly

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