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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. sharp — clever
  3. file — a document
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pit — in a race
  13. game — wild animals
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pit — a hole
  17. file — a line of people
  18. plane — a tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. game — a match
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. file — a tool

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