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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — clever
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cell — in biology
  7. march — music
  8. cell — a phone
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chest — of your body
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. march — the month
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. chest — a box
  24. fork — in a road

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