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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. spring — a coil
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. net — in sport
  6. season — in sport
  7. last — final
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. net — after costs
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. spring — the season
  13. track — a path
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. track — a song
  16. spring — of water
  17. track — to keep track
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. season — of the year
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mine — for digging
  22. net — for catching
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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