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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fine — all right
  4. field — for sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. field — farmland
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mark — a trace
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. sharp — clever
  18. field — a subject
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fall — the season
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. sharp — with an edge

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