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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cell — a phone
  4. club — a group
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. row — to paddle
  9. court — of law
  10. object — to protest
  11. cell — in biology
  12. object — an aim
  13. court — for sport
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. object — a thing
  16. club — for golf
  17. row — a line
  18. court — of a king
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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