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

Word bank: stick · cabinet · plane · arm · cell · chair · bat · wake

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cell — in biology
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. plane — a tool
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. arm — part of the body

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