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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fine — all right
  5. present — the time now
  6. prune — to trim
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. shower — to wash
  14. fine — high quality
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. present — there
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. present — a gift
  19. plane — a tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. court — of law
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. plane — in geometry

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