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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. court — of a king
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rush — hurry
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. court — for sport
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. plane — a tool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mark — a trace
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. leaves — of a tree

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