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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bat — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mark — a trace
  5. court — of law
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. plane — a tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. court — for sport
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bat — for baseball

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