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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kick — in football
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. shower — rain
  13. plane — a tool
  14. last — finally
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. court — of a king
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. court — for sport
  23. pound — a weight
  24. jam — in traffic

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