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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. club — for golf
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. club — a group
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. mark — a trace
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. club — for dancing
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rush — hurry
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. court — of a king
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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