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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. stock — goods
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bass — low music
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. file — a document
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. file — a line of people
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. plane — a tool
  22. file — a tool
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stock — shares

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