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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 knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. drill — a practice
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cell — in biology
  5. drill — army training
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mug — a face
  8. spell — letters
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cell — a phone
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spell — magic
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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