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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. kid — child
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. scale — in music
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lean — thin
  24. pit — in a race

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