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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. kid — child
  3. plane — a tool
  4. ground — a position
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rash — a series
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. chest — a box
  23. ground — crushed
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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