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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. ball — a great time
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. rush — hurry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bat — the animal
  8. last — final
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. plane — a tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of law
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. court — of a king
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bat — in an idiom

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