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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 116 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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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: plane · can · mine · mark · bat · sharp · cap · kid

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. plane — a tool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bat — the animal
  5. can — to be able to
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mine — for digging
  8. can — a tin
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. kid — child
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cap — a lid

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