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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. spell — letters
  4. roll — a list
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. wound — an injury
  8. club — for dancing
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spell — magic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. plane — a tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spell — a short time
  20. sharp — clever
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. can — a tin
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. roll — on a roll

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