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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: bay · bound · face · chest · game · last · plane · court

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. court — of a king
  5. bound — certain
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. face — part of the head
  9. court — of law
  10. last — finally
  11. face — to point toward
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. chest — a box
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bound — obliged
  16. face — to confront
  17. court — for sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. last — final
  24. plane — an aircraft

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