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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · saw · pitcher · cell · mug · court · rock · fall

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mug — a face
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — music
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. rock — a stone
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mug — a cup
  21. court — of a king
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — to drop
  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