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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. staff — a stick
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. face — part of the head

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