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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. plane — a tool
  3. last — finally
  4. clip — to cut
  5. sharp — clever
  6. clip — for paper
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. board — a committee
  9. hand — in cards
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. last — final
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. board — to get on
  15. stand — to bear
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. hand — help
  22. clip — a video
  23. roll — a list
  24. plane — an aircraft

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