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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. suit — in cards
  6. capital — a city
  7. suit — to fit
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. capital — money
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. suit — clothes
  19. rock — music
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. chest — a box
  22. foot — a measure
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. plane — a 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