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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. cap — a lid
  5. charge — in control
  6. court — of law
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — a country
  9. charge — electricity
  10. land — to come down
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. perch — the fish
  13. court — of a king
  14. charge — a price
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cap — a hat
  18. court — for sport

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