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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. last — finally
  9. chest — of your body
  10. last — to go on
  11. kid — to tease
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. plane — a tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. kid — child
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — final
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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