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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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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: bay · plane · stick · file · court · swing · mark · mine

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. court — for sport
  4. mark — a trace
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mark — a grade
  9. file — a tool
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. file — a document
  24. mine — belonging to me

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