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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rest — what's left
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. sharp — clever
  6. field — a subject
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. last — final
  10. plane — a tool
  11. field — for sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — a break
  14. last — finally
  15. rock — a stone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. field — farmland
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rock — music
  22. last — to go on
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. sharp — with an edge

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