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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. last — final
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — an amount
  5. firm — decided
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. cue — a hint
  8. lie — to recline
  9. firm — a company
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. last — finally
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cue — a signal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cue — for pool
  17. firm — steady
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. dip — to sink
  21. last — to go on
  22. mark — a trace
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mark — a grade

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