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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ground — the earth
  4. saw — the tool
  5. swing — music
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ground — a position
  9. cell — in biology
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mate — a friend
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cell — a phone
  18. sharp — clever
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitch — completely
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pitch — a sports field

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