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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. season — in sport
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. chip — to eat
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. court — of law
  10. march — music
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. march — the month
  17. vault — a safe
  18. season — of the year
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chip — for betting
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — to add flavour

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