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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. march — the month
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pop — soda
  15. sharp — clever
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pop — music
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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