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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. clip — for paper
  5. plane — a tool
  6. face — to confront
  7. spell — magic
  8. clip — to cut
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. field — farmland
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. field — a subject
  16. clip — a video
  17. rush — hurry
  18. spell — letters
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. field — for sport
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. plane — an aircraft

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