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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rock — a stone
  4. court — of law
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. court — for sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. dip — to sink
  12. tear — to rip
  13. court — of a king
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rock — music
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. sharp — clever
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tear — from crying
  24. dip — to dunk

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