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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.

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: plane · calf · sharp · pitch · clip · saw · rash · cell

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rash — a series
  4. saw — the tool
  5. plane — a tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. clip — a video
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pitch — completely
  21. clip — to cut
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. saw — the tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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