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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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. track — a path
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — a tool
  5. game — a match
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ball — a great time
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. track — a song
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stand — to bear

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