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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.

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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. 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. net — in sport
  2. fine — all right
  3. court — for sport
  4. fine — high quality
  5. net — for catching
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. land — ground
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. net — after costs
  10. suit — in cards
  11. land — to come down
  12. suit — to fit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. suit — clothes
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. date — the fruit
  18. 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