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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. sharp — clever
  11. last — to go on
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bear — the animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. rush — hurry
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. safe — a strongbox

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