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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · bat · cell · date · mug · charge · safe · plane

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mug — a face
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cell — in biology
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mug — a cup
  15. date — the fruit
  16. cell — a phone
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. plane — a tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. lean — thin

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