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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. fork — in a road
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. court — for sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stock — goods
  12. shower — to wash
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stem — to come from
  15. plane — a tool
  16. court — of law
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — shares
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fork — to eat with

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