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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. firm — a company
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. perch — the fish
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. firm — steady
  13. last — finally
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. last — final
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. firm — decided
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. row — to paddle
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. last — to go on
  23. patient — a sick person
  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