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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. last — to go on
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mark — a trace
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. craft — boats
  11. last — final
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fine — all right
  21. tear — from crying
  22. last — finally
  23. tear — from crying
  24. plane — in geometry

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