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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — of a king
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. plane — a tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. court — for sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cold — not warm
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. court — of law
  22. degree — an amount
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. cold — the Cold War

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