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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. shower — rain
  10. net — after costs
  11. court — of a king
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. shower — to wash
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. net — for catching
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. leaves — to go away

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