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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 120 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to confront
  6. net — in sport
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. net — after costs
  9. root — the cause
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — to point toward
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. root — of a plant
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. plane — a tool
  24. root — of a word

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