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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cell — in biology
  4. key — the most important part
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. key — for a lock
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. shower — rain
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. key — in music
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. shower — to wash

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