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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. spring — of water
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. spell — magic
  9. bat — the animal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rest — a break
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spell — letters
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — the season
  24. rest — what's left

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