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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. land — ground
  6. spell — a short time
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. march — the month
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. spell — letters
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. march — the month
  17. court — for sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tube — the underground
  21. plane — a tool
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. spell — magic

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