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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · plane · tube · pop · rest · sharp · hand · court

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pop — soda
  4. court — of law
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — help
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rest — a break
  11. court — of a king
  12. pop — to visit
  13. tube — a container
  14. pop — music
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rest — what's left
  18. plane — a tool
  19. court — for sport
  20. tube — the underground
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. hand — part of the body

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