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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. current — electric
  6. march — the month
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. march — music
  10. current — happening now
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. current — of water
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tube — a container
  19. plane — a tool
  20. tube — the underground
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. march — the month

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