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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. court — for sport
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. present — the time now
  5. plane — a tool
  6. present — a gift
  7. date — the fruit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. court — of law
  10. chair — a leader
  11. present — there
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rock — music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. court — of a king
  22. rock — a stone
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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