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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. mark — a grade
  11. lie — to recline
  12. field — farmland
  13. hand — in cards
  14. staff — a stick
  15. sharp — clever
  16. staff — employees
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — a cake
  20. hand — help
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — for sport
  24. mark — a trace

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