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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. field — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ground — a position
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stand — to bear
  20. march — music
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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