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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. court — of law
  4. key — in music
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. drill — the tool
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ball — a dance
  9. game — a match
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. plane — a tool
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. ball — a great time
  19. degree — temperature
  20. court — of a king
  21. game — wild animals
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. court — for sport
  24. plane — in geometry

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