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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rock — a stone
  4. plane — a tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. spell — a short time
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — the animal
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rock — music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. spell — letters
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spell — magic
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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