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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. court — for sport
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. swing — music
  8. plane — a tool
  9. row — a line
  10. court — of a king
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. stand — to bear
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. plane — an aircraft

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