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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wind — moving air
  3. court — of a king
  4. fall — the season
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. plane — a tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. court — of law
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wind — moving air
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — to drop
  24. plane — in geometry

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