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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. squash — the sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. spring — of water
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pitch — completely
  14. clip — a video
  15. plane — a tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spring — the season
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hand — help
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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