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

Word bank: cap · fork · plane · hand · pass · sharp · rock · rash

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rash — hasty
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rock — a stone
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rash — a series
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pass — a permit
  20. hand — help
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rock — music
  24. plane — in geometry

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