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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. charge — electricity
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. plane — a tool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wake — a trail
  12. dip — to sink
  13. charge — in control
  14. cue — a signal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ground — a position
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. charge — a price
  24. row — a line

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