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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. plane — a tool
  3. court — of law
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. court — for sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. charge — a price
  12. mine — for digging
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. land — to come down
  15. court — of a king
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. charge — in control
  20. rash — a series
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. swing — music

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