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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. object — an aim
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. dip — to sink
  10. court — for sport
  11. cell — in biology
  12. object — to protest
  13. land — ground
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. cue — a signal
  22. plane — a tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. cue — for pool

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