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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. last — final
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fork — in a road
  5. face — to confront
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. plane — a tool
  12. last — finally
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rock — a stone
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bass — low music
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. ball — a great time
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rock — music

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