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

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cap — a hat
  4. court — of law
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cap — a lid
  12. court — of a king
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. court — for sport
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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