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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. court — of law
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — ground
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lean — thin
  8. track — a path
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — to keep track
  12. land — to come down
  13. stock — shares
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. court — of a king
  16. track — a song
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stock — goods
  21. court — for sport
  22. land — a country
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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