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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. row — a line
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. fine — all right
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. key — in music
  13. row — to paddle
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. key — the most important part
  18. spring — the season
  19. key — for a lock
  20. suit — clothes
  21. sharp — clever
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. spring — of water
  24. plane — an aircraft

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