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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fine — all right
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. court — of law
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spring — the season
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. branch — a division
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pass — a permit

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