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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. drill — the tool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. clip — for paper
  6. staff — employees
  7. stand — to bear
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. staff — a stick
  12. clip — a video
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. clip — to cut
  15. file — a tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. plane — a tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. file — a line of people
  22. staff — employees
  23. scale — in music
  24. file — a document

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