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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cell — in biology
  8. plane — a tool
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. clip — to cut
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. track — to keep track
  14. clip — a video
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. track — a song
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. track — a path
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. ground — a position
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cell — a phone
  24. ground — the earth

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