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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. court — for sport
  3. land — ground
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. file — a tool
  6. deal — to handle
  7. court — of law
  8. rock — a stone
  9. court — of a king
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. file — a document
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. file — a line of people
  17. plane — a tool
  18. craft — boats
  19. sharp — clever
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. rock — music
  24. craft — a skill

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