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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mug — a face
  5. fine — all right
  6. chest — a box
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chest — of your body
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. net — after costs
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fork — in a road
  18. net — in sport
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wound — an injury
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. net — for catching

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