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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. sharp — clever
  3. last — finally
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. object — an aim
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. object — to protest
  15. tube — a container
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. object — a thing
  19. last — to go on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rush — hurry
  24. last — final

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