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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. shower — rain
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. ground — the earth
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fork — in a road
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. shower — to wash
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ground — crushed
  16. plane — a tool
  17. ground — a position
  18. deal — to handle
  19. sharp — clever
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wave — of the sea
  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