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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 is in your ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. key — for a lock
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. land — ground
  8. court — of law
  9. date — the fruit
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. key — the most important part
  15. land — to come down
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. key — in music
  18. kick — in football
  19. court — of a king
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — a country
  24. plane — a tool

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