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

Word bank: plane · deal · march · mate · court · lie · cell · shower

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lie — to recline
  5. shower — rain
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mate — to breed
  9. court — of law
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. court — of a king
  16. cell — a phone
  17. march — the month
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — for sport
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mate — a partner
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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