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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · court · pitcher · rule · cold · can · plane · bulb

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. 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. key — for a lock
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. court — of a king
  5. can — a tin
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. court — for sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. rule — government
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rule — a law
  22. can — to be able to
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. 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