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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cue — a signal
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. scale — in music
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pass — a permit
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wound — an injury
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cue — a hint
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. ground — a position
  22. plane — a tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. craft — boats

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