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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. file — a line of people
  5. scale — in music
  6. dip — to sink
  7. file — a document
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. file — a tool
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bore — to drill
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. sharp — clever
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bore — to tire
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. clip — a video
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. scale — size or range

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