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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ball — a dance
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mug — to rob
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rest — a break
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. swing — music
  24. cold — not warm

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