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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. band — a ring
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. plane — a tool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. perch — the fish
  14. sharp — clever
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. band — a music group

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