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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 120 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cold — an illness
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. chest — of your body
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cold — not warm
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. plane — a tool

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