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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. object — to protest
  5. craft — a skill
  6. row — to paddle
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. row — a line
  10. plane — a tool
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. field — a subject
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — a thing
  17. craft — boats
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. object — an aim
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. snap — to click

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