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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. court — of a king
  3. race — a contest
  4. court — of law
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. mug — a face
  12. race — humankind
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cue — a hint
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. mug — a cup
  24. court — for sport

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