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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lie — to recline
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cue — for pool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. scale — in music
  11. plane — a tool
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. court — of a king
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. scale — size or range

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