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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. file — a document
  5. spell — magic
  6. march — music
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. march — the month
  16. spell — letters
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. file — a tool
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spell — a short time

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