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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. drill — a practice
  12. track — a song
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mate — a partner
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mate — to breed
  17. drill — the tool
  18. track — a path
  19. ground — the earth
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. sharp — clever
  24. drill — army training

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