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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: saw · scale · kid · bulb · cue · net · plane · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kid — child
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bulb — for light
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cue — for pool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — for catching
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. net — in sport
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. kid — to tease
  20. scale — in music
  21. saw — the tool
  22. plane — a tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. net — after costs

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