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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. plane — a tool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spring — the season
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. spring — of water
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. shower — rain
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cell — in biology
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. chair — a leader
  20. shower — to wash
  21. present — a gift
  22. spring — a coil
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cell — a phone

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