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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: row · staff · plane · bulb · court · game · clip · firm

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. firm — steady
  3. row — to paddle
  4. clip — for paper
  5. game — a match
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — employees
  10. court — of law
  11. game — wild animals
  12. staff — employees
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. firm — a company
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. row — a line
  19. firm — decided
  20. clip — a video
  21. staff — a stick
  22. clip — to cut
  23. court — of a king
  24. row — a quarrel

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