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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ball — a great time
  7. degree — from a university
  8. capital — a city
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fall — to drop
  11. capital — money
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wake — a trail
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. ball — a dance
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — an amount
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. ball — a round shape

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