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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rash — a series
  5. spell — a short time
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. staff — employees
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. court — of law
  12. plane — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. spell — magic
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. court — of a king
  20. rash — hasty
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spell — letters

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