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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. foot — a measure
  4. ground — the earth
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. plane — a tool
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — a position
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ground — crushed
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rash — hasty
  20. staff — employees
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rash — a series
  24. plane — in geometry

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