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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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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: court · file · sharp · plane · fan · lie · leaves · pop

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. plane — a tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pop — to visit
  6. court — of a king
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pop — soda
  14. lie — to recline
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. court — for sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pop — music
  24. file — a document

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