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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ball — a dance
  3. present — there
  4. wind — moving air
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. firm — decided
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. land — ground
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. court — of law
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. firm — a company
  13. plane — a tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — of a king
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. present — the time now
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. present — a gift
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. firm — steady
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wind — moving air

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