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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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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: squash · file · key · safe · plane · tear · pass · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. key — for a lock
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. file — a line of people
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. file — a document
  8. plane — a tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. key — in music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. file — a tool
  16. pass — a permit
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. key — the most important part
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. plane — an aircraft

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