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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mark — a trace
  5. net — in sport
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — of law
  11. drill — army training
  12. mine — for digging
  13. plane — a tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. net — after costs
  16. court — for sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mark — a grade
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. court — of a king
  24. mine — belonging to me

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