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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chair — a leader
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. mate — to breed
  9. field — farmland
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. plane — a tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. march — music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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