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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cue — a signal
  6. court — of a king
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mug — a face
  9. cue — for pool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. band — a ring
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cue — a hint
  15. court — of law
  16. bulb — for light
  17. court — for sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. band — a music group
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. land — ground

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