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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. object — an aim
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. court — of law
  12. object — a thing
  13. last — finally
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. object — to protest
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bat — the animal
  18. court — for sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. last — final
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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