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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. last — to go on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. plane — a tool
  6. court — of a king
  7. firm — steady
  8. last — final
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. court — of law
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. charge — in control
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a great time
  17. charge — a price
  18. court — for sport
  19. last — finally
  20. ball — a dance
  21. charge — electricity
  22. drill — a practice
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. drill — the tool

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