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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fine — all right
  3. track — a path
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. track — a song
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. court — of a king
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. court — for sport
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. court — of law
  19. cold — an illness
  20. plane — a tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cold — not warm
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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