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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. plane — a tool
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. hand — help
  21. lean — thin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — for digging
  24. safe — out of danger

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