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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: plane · mug · firm · squash · cap · field · safe · roll

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cap — a lid
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cap — a hat
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mug — to rob
  11. firm — a company
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — a cake
  14. squash — to crush
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. firm — decided
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mug — a face
  22. firm — steady
  23. squash — the sport
  24. field — farmland

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