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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mark — a trace
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mark — a grade
  7. club — for golf
  8. bound — certain
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. file — a document
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. file — a tool
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. bound — tied together
  21. club — a group
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. sharp — clever
  24. club — for dancing

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