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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 120 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. court — for sport
  3. plane — a tool
  4. court — of law
  5. chest — a box
  6. snap — to click
  7. pass — a permit
  8. track — a song
  9. chest — of your body
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. root — of a plant
  12. track — to keep track
  13. board — to get on
  14. root — the cause
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. board — a committee
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chest — of your body
  20. root — of a word
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. court — of a king
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pass — to succeed

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