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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. drill — a practice
  3. spell — magic
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hand — help
  6. sharp — clever
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bulb — for light
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pit — a hole
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pit — in a race
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. drill — army training
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. sharp — with an edge

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