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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ball — a dance
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. last — finally
  5. file — a document
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. ball — a great time
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. last — to go on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. last — final
  15. hand — help
  16. date — the fruit
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. file — a line of people
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. date — on the calendar

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