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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. firm — a company
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bound — obliged
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cell — in biology
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. firm — steady
  9. root — of a word
  10. hand — help
  11. root — the cause
  12. firm — decided
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. root — of a plant
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bound — certain
  18. squash — the sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. kid — to tease
  21. cell — a phone
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — child

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