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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.

Make a worksheet

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: roll · cold · net · row · plane · mine · perch · court

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. roll — a list
  3. row — to paddle
  4. plane — a tool
  5. court — of law
  6. net — in sport
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mine — for digging
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. net — for catching
  12. cold — an illness
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — of a king
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — a line
  18. court — for sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. perch — the fish
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. net — after costs
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. plane — in geometry

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