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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. ball — a dance
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mark — a grade
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. snap — to click
  24. plane — a tool

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