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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — to confront
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — to point toward
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bound — obliged
  11. face — part of the head
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bulb — for light
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bound — certain
  19. court — for sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — of a king
  22. mine — for digging
  23. court — of law
  24. coach — a trainer

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