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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. land — a country
  4. pit — a hole
  5. court — of law
  6. land — ground
  7. suit — to fit
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. court — of a king
  10. pit — in a race
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rash — hasty
  14. kick — in football
  15. land — to come down
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. court — for sport
  18. rash — a series

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