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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. squash — the sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. degree — temperature
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wake — a trail
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. chair — a leader
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. degree — an amount
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. degree — from a university
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. hand — help
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. patient — a sick person

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