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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: court · spring · stick · arm · shower · plane · capital · net

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. spring — the season
  4. net — for catching
  5. capital — money
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. court — for sport
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. net — in sport
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. shower — to wash
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — after costs
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. court — of law
  23. shower — rain
  24. capital — a city

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