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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 120 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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 — clever
  2. rock — music
  3. content — happy
  4. staff — employees
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. content — the amount
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. squash — the sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. squash — to crush
  21. field — for sport
  22. rock — a stone
  23. staff — a stick
  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