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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cap — a hat
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chest — a box
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. cap — a lid
  8. plane — a tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. cap — of ice
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. safe — out of danger

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