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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. last — finally
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. roll — a list
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. last — final
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bat — the animal
  10. present — there
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — a company
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. last — to go on
  17. present — the time now
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. plane — a tool
  21. present — a gift
  22. firm — decided
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. date — the fruit

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