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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.

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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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468
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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. chair — a leader
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. capital — money
  9. wind — moving air
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. land — a country
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. capital — a city
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. court — of a king
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. chair — a professorship

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