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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hand — in cards
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mate — to breed
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pitch — completely
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mate — a friend
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. hand — help
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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