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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. plane — a tool
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. sharp — clever
  11. track — a path
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — for digging
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. staff — employees
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. track — a song
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bat — the animal
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rush — hurry

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