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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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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. plane — a tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. pop — soda
  6. fine — all right
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pop — music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. season — in sport
  15. file — a line of people
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ball — a great time
  18. file — a document
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fine — high quality
  22. ball — a dance
  23. file — a tool
  24. mine — for digging

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