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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 120 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spell — magic
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — of a king
  17. fall — the season
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spell — letters
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — of law
  24. spell — a short time

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