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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. court — of a king
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. plane — a tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spring — the season
  13. object — a thing
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. object — an aim
  20. spring — a coil
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spring — of water
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mouse — the animal

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