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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. field — farmland
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rash — hasty
  12. sharp — clever
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. field — a subject

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