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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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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: sharp · cell · tube · plane · swing · fall · rule · dip

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rule — government
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rule — a law
  12. fall — the season
  13. swing — to play on
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tube — a container
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cell — in biology
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. plane — a tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cell — a phone
  24. fall — to drop

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