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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 116 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stock — goods
  10. land — a country
  11. stock — shares
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pop — soda
  17. court — for sport
  18. land — ground
  19. court — of law
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pop — music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. land — to come down

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