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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. tube — a container
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. land — ground
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tube — the underground
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. land — to come down
  24. patient — a sick person

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