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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. plane — a tool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. root — of a plant
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. root — the cause
  10. court — for sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mine — for digging
  14. root — of a word
  15. court — of law
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. press — to push
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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