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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · tear · plane · court · chair · date

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — a leader
  3. tear — to rip
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. present — a gift
  9. date — the fruit
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tear — from crying
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. plane — a tool
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. court — of law

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