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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lean — thin
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. field — farmland
  8. hand — help
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. field — a subject
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bass — low music
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. bass — the fish
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. field — 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