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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bound — tied together
  6. face — to point toward
  7. current — of water
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bound — certain
  10. current — electric
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. current — happening now
  15. face — to confront
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rash — a series
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. face — part of the head
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rash — on the skin

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