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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. last — final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. firm — a company
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rule — government
  9. last — to go on
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — a tool
  13. scale — size or range
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. firm — decided
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rule — a law
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. firm — steady
  22. last — finally
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. game — a match

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