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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. field — for sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rush — a thrill

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