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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cold — an illness
  4. current — of water
  5. court — of a king
  6. net — in sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. plane — a tool
  11. current — electric
  12. court — for sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. current — happening now
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. court — of law
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ball — a dance
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fine — all right
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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