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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stem — to come from
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. last — finally
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cue — a signal
  13. roll — a cake
  14. cue — a hint
  15. last — final
  16. roll — a list
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hand — help
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. last — to go on

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