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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. land — a country
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fork — in a road
  17. sharp — clever
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. plane — a tool

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