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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spring — the season
  5. drill — army training
  6. court — of a king
  7. land — to come down
  8. drill — a practice
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. land — a country
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. court — of law
  17. kick — in football
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. plane — a tool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. land — ground
  22. spring — of water
  23. scale — in music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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