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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. court — of law
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spring — the season
  11. season — of the year
  12. mug — to rob
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wax — to grow
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. court — for sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. court — of a king

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