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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. court — for sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. swing — to play on
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. prune — to trim
  12. row — to paddle
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. swing — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — in golf
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. band — a ring
  21. perch — the fish
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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