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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 120 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: court · leaves · march · board · plane · bowl · land · ball

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. court — of a king
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. land — to come down
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. court — of law
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. board — to get on
  17. march — the month
  18. ball — a great time
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. board — a committee
  22. court — for sport
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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