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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fine — high quality
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. chest — a box
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. court — for sport
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. court — of a king
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. spring — of water
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chest — of your body
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stand — to bear
  21. spring — the season
  22. cell — in biology
  23. court — of law
  24. date — on the calendar

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