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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
468
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: content · cap · nail · bay · court · spring · plane · leaves

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. court — for sport
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cap — a lid
  8. content — happy
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. court — of law
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. content — the amount
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. cap — of ice
  17. plane — a tool
  18. spring — a coil
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. leaves — to go away

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