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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. present — a gift
  3. rest — what's left
  4. can — a tin
  5. plane — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rest — a break
  8. present — the time now
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — a coil
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rest — what's left
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. can — to be able to
  17. present — there
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. scale — in music
  21. fork — in a road
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. scale — size or range

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