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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
468
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: rash · cell · land · plane · sharp · fine · wound · pit

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rash — a series
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fine — all right
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. plane — a tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wound — an injury

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