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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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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. plane — a tool
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. season — of the year
  8. deal — to handle
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bass — low music
  12. court — for sport
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. season — in sport
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spring — the season
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bass — the fish
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. plane — an aircraft

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