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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. charge — electricity
  3. key — for a lock
  4. prune — to trim
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. key — in music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. charge — in control
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. key — the most important part
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. court — for sport
  19. charge — a price
  20. court — of law
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. court — of a king

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