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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. plane — a tool
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. season — in sport
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. court — for sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. court — of a king
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. season — of the year
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. vault — a safe
  17. stem — to come from
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. board — to get on
  20. date — the fruit
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. board — a flat piece

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