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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. file — a document
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spring — the season
  7. cue — a signal
  8. plane — a tool
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. file — a tool
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cue — a hint
  18. file — a line of people
  19. tube — a container
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ruler — for measuring

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