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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. last — to go on
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pop — soda
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. lean — to bend
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lean — thin
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pop — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. plane — a tool
  24. nail — for a hammer

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