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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. plane — a tool
  3. court — for sport
  4. hand — help
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. saw — the tool
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. court — of a king
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. court — of law
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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