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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pop — soda
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pop — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. plane — a tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chip — for betting
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chip — to eat
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pop — to visit
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. saw — the tool

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