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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: plane · row · ground · mine · snap · cap · court · mark

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mark — a grade
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mine — for digging
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. row — a line
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cap — of ice
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. snap — to click
  18. ground — a position
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ground — the earth
  21. court — of law
  22. ground — crushed
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mark — a trace

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