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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rock — music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rock — a stone
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. vault — a safe
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. club — a group
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. mark — a grade
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chair — a leader
  19. club — for dancing
  20. dip — to sink
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. club — for golf

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