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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fine — all right
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. mate — to breed
  6. game — a match
  7. bark — to shout
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. court — of a king
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. court — for sport
  12. plane — a tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fine — high quality
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. court — of law
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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