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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 116 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: face · ground · bat · bear · wound · court · racket · plane

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bear — the animal
  6. court — of a king
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. court — of law
  9. face — part of the head
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. ground — a position
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wound — an injury
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. court — for sport
  17. face — to confront
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bat — the animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. plane — a tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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