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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. court — for sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. court — of law
  8. board — a committee
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. board — to get on
  11. plane — a tool
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rush — hurry
  15. shower — to wash
  16. court — of a king
  17. current — of water
  18. row — a line
  19. current — happening now
  20. shower — rain
  21. current — electric
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. row — to paddle

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