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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. net — in sport
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. drill — army training
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. fine — all right
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. content — happy
  22. net — after costs
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitch — completely

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