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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. club — a group
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. club — for golf
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. clip — for paper
  9. court — for sport
  10. plane — a tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. court — of law
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. spell — letters
  21. scale — size or range
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. spell — magic
  24. scale — in music

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