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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. present — a gift
  4. swing — music
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mine — for digging
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fine — high quality
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. swing — to play on
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fine — all right
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. swing — in golf
  20. root — of a plant
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. present — there
  24. fine — a penalty

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