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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. plane — a tool
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fine — all right
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bore — to drill
  12. board — to get on
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bore — to tire
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. ground — a position
  22. board — a committee
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cell — in biology

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