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

Word bank: fork · plane · wound · key · lie · hand · safe · pit

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hand — in cards
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. key — for a lock
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lie — to recline
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — in a road
  22. key — in music
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. plane — a tool

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