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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. plane — a tool
  3. field — for sport
  4. ball — a great time
  5. field — farmland
  6. court — of law
  7. march — music
  8. row — a line
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. scale — in music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. field — a subject
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. march — the month
  17. kick — in football
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — of a king
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. march — the month
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. court — for sport

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