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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. plane — a tool
  3. last — finally
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mark — a grade
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. last — final
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. foot — a measure
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. rest — a break
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rest — what's left
  24. nail — for a hammer

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