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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. field — a subject
  3. shower — rain
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. staff — a stick
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. firm — steady
  16. staff — employees
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. firm — a company
  19. shower — to wash
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. firm — decided
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rash — hasty
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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