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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 120 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. court — for sport
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. court — of law
  12. spell — letters
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. court — of a king
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wind — moving air
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cell — in biology
  22. land — to come down
  23. cell — a phone
  24. safe — out of danger

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