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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. court — of law
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pop — music
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bear — the animal
  8. snap — to click
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. court — for sport
  11. pop — to visit
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. land — a country
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. club — for golf
  18. court — of a king
  19. bear — the animal
  20. land — ground
  21. club — a group
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pop — soda

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