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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. file — a tool
  5. plane — a tool
  6. root — of a plant
  7. spell — letters
  8. root — the cause
  9. spell — a short time
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. root — of a word
  14. saw — the tool
  15. season — in sport
  16. spell — magic
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fall — to drop
  19. file — a document
  20. season — of the year
  21. fall — the season
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fall — to drop

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