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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. court — of law
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bound — certain
  8. tube — a container
  9. mate — to breed
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bound — tied together
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cell — a phone
  19. court — for sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cell — in a prison
  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