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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — farmland
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. content — the amount
  14. field — for sport
  15. content — happy
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. field — a subject

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