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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of law
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. object — to protest
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. object — an aim
  15. foot — a measure
  16. court — of a king
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — for digging
  20. object — a thing
  21. charge — electricity
  22. drill — the tool
  23. charge — a price
  24. drill — army training

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