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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. plane — a tool
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. land — ground
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. land — a country
  18. chest — a box
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. land — to come down
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lash — to lash out

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