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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bear — the animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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