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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bound — obliged
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bound — certain
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fine — all right
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cold — not warm
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mark — a trace

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