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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fine — all right
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. drill — army training
  11. fine — high quality
  12. capital — a city
  13. plane — a tool
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. court — of a king
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. spring — the season
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. court — of law
  21. capital — money
  22. spring — of water
  23. drill — a practice
  24. court — for sport

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