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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fall — to drop
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. fall — the season
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. mate — to breed
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rock — music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fall — to drop
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. rush — a thrill

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