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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fine — all right
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. firm — a company
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. plane — a tool
  8. firm — steady
  9. field — a subject
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fine — high quality
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. field — for sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — a box
  17. field — farmland
  18. chest — of your body
  19. roll — a list
  20. firm — decided
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. roll — a cake

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