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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bat — the animal
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. last — final
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. stock — shares
  14. last — finally
  15. rush — hurry
  16. last — to go on
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lie — to recline
  19. stock — goods
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. plane — a tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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