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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitch — completely
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. saw — the tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. court — of law
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. bulb — of a plant

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