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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. club — for golf
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pop — music
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. club — a group
  14. plane — a tool
  15. club — for dancing
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — of law
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pop — soda

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