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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rest — what's left
  4. court — of law
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. branch — a division
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. court — of a king
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pop — soda
  13. snap — to click
  14. court — for sport
  15. rest — a break
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pop — music
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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