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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: plane · swing · mate · land · press · lash · file · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. file — a tool
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — a partner
  5. swing — music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. land — ground
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. court — for sport
  11. press — a publisher
  12. court — of a king
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. file — a document
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. land — to come down
  22. file — a line of people
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mate — to breed

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