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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. suit — to fit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. suit — clothes
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. saw — the tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bat — the animal
  16. press — a publisher
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. press — to push
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bat — for baseball

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