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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. land — to come down
  3. cap — a hat
  4. court — for sport
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. kick — in football
  8. club — a group
  9. cap — a lid
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. club — for golf
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. court — of a king
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cap — of ice

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