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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spring — of water
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spring — a coil
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — the tool
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. drill — army training
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. spring — the season
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chip — for betting
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rush — a thrill

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