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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · kid · cell · mate · plane · ruler

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mug — a face
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mate — to breed
  8. kid — child
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mug — to rob
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mate — a partner
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cell — a phone

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