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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · kid · hand · last · cue · plane · pass · stem

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. stem — to come from
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. kid — child
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. ball — a dance
  16. hand — help
  17. pass — a permit
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a great time
  20. last — final
  21. cue — a hint
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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