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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. band — a ring
  4. last — to go on
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. kid — child
  9. pit — in a race
  10. plane — a tool
  11. last — finally
  12. snap — to click
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pit — a hole
  15. band — a music group
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. last — final

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