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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. plane — a tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cold — not warm
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cold — an illness

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