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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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chest — a box
  3. game — a match
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cue — a signal
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. track — a path
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — to keep track
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cue — for pool
  23. track — a song
  24. bat — in an idiom

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