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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 ________________ took off on time.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. date — the fruit
  4. capital — money
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. capital — a city
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. court — of a king
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rule — government
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. prune — to trim
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bat — the animal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. court — for sport
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rule — a law
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bat — for baseball

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