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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. charge — electricity
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. kid — child
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. fork — in a road
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. charge — a price
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. kid — to tease
  20. snap — to click
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. present — the time now
  23. charge — in control
  24. coach — a trainer

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