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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ground — crushed
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. file — a document
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. file — a tool
  11. fine — all right
  12. present — there
  13. date — the fruit
  14. ground — the earth
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ground — a position
  18. file — a line of people
  19. capital — money
  20. present — the time now
  21. capital — a city
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. present — a gift
  24. date — on the calendar

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