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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mate — a friend
  3. court — of a king
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. file — a tool
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a ring
  10. face — to point toward
  11. file — a document
  12. band — a music group
  13. mate — a partner
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. swing — music
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. court — of law
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. file — a line of people
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. court — for sport
  24. plane — a 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