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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. current — electric
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stock — goods
  15. cue — for pool
  16. current — of water
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. current — happening now
  20. cue — a signal
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. tear — from crying
  23. sharp — clever
  24. tear — to rip

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