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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fine — high quality
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. fine — all right
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. root — of a word
  11. court — of a king
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. root — the cause
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rock — music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. land — to come down
  24. fork — to eat with

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