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

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. court — of a king
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fine — high quality
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. court — of law
  15. fine — all right
  16. hand — help
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. court — for sport

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