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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. present — a gift
  4. object — to protest
  5. court — of a king
  6. present — the time now
  7. object — a thing
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. object — an aim
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. present — there
  21. plane — a tool
  22. roll — a list
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. court — of law

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