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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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Word bank
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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: snap · dip · mate · game · scale · bat · cell · plane

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. snap — to click
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mate — to breed
  11. dip — to sink
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mate — a friend
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. game — a match
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cell — a phone
  24. plane — a tool

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