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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: bore · capital · suit · present · plane · cell · sharp · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. present — a gift
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cell — in biology
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cell — a phone
  9. present — there
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bore — to drill
  15. suit — to fit
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. present — the time now
  18. suit — clothes
  19. capital — money
  20. suit — in cards
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bore — to tire
  23. capital — a city
  24. plane — a tool

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