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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bat — the animal
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. object — to protest
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hand — help
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lie — to recline
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cold — an illness
  19. object — an aim
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. object — a thing
  24. chair — a leader

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