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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 120 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. sharp — clever
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. craft — boats
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. craft — a skill
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chest — a box
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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