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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. spring — a coil
  11. court — of law
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bulb — for light
  15. charge — in control
  16. spring — of water
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bear — the animal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. spring — the season
  21. cue — for pool
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. court — of a king

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