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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. club — for golf
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ground — the earth
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. field — farmland
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. court — for sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. court — of a king
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ground — a position
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. field — a subject
  24. temple — side of the head

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