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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — of law
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mate — to breed
  6. ground — a position
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. press — to push
  10. last — to go on
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. last — final
  14. mate — a friend
  15. press — newspapers
  16. plane — a tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mate — a partner
  20. saw — the tool
  21. press — a publisher
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. last — finally
  24. leaves — lets stay

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