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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cell — a phone
  6. last — final
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — to go on
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. club — for dancing
  12. last — finally
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. club — a group
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mark — a grade
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. club — for golf

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