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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — of a king
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. rash — a series
  8. degree — from a university
  9. court — of law
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spell — a short time
  13. court — for sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. spell — magic
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spell — letters
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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