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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. court — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cue — a hint
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cue — for pool
  15. file — a document
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. sharp — clever
  18. file — a line of people
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fall — the season
  21. court — of law
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. file — a tool
  24. plane — a tool

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