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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. row — a line
  5. wind — moving air
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. row — to paddle
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wind — moving air
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pop — music
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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