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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lean — thin
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. present — the time now
  6. chip — to eat
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. sharp — clever
  10. present — a gift
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. present — there
  15. field — a subject
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. chip — for betting
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. lean — to bend
  22. field — farmland
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. sharp — with an edge

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