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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. board — a committee
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. court — of a king
  5. spring — of water
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. court — of law
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. court — for sport
  14. spring — the season
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. deal — to handle
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. spring — a coil
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. sharp — clever
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. board — to get on

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