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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ball — a great time
  8. present — a gift
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. firm — steady
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. present — there
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wind — moving air
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. present — the time now

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