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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 116 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. land — ground
  3. game — wild animals
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. fine — all right
  6. craft — boats
  7. track — a song
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. track — a path
  14. land — a country
  15. game — a match
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fine — high quality
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. craft — a skill
  23. lie — to recline
  24. land — to come down

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