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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rock — music
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mate — a friend
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rock — a stone
  11. court — of law
  12. bore — to tire
  13. branch — a division
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bore — to drill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mate — a partner
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fall — the season
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. court — of a king
  24. nail — for a hammer

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