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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 124 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. firm — a company
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. firm — steady
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. ball — a great time
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cell — in biology
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — of a king
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cell — a phone
  24. ball — a dance

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