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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fall — to drop
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. face — to point toward
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. hand — help
  10. face — to confront
  11. bore — to drill
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — part of the head
  19. plane — a tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. court — of law
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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