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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 120 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hand — help
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. row — a line
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. firm — steady
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rash — a series
  14. firm — decided
  15. hand — in cards
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chest — a box
  21. plane — a tool
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. firm — a company
  24. fork — a garden tool

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