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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. plane — a tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. object — an aim
  7. ball — a dance
  8. last — to go on
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. row — a line
  11. object — to protest
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. field — for sport
  14. object — a thing
  15. last — final
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. field — farmland
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ball — a great time
  22. sharp — clever
  23. last — finally
  24. row — a quarrel

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