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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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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. mark — a trace
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. court — for sport
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. squash — the sport
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. land — ground
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. capital — a city
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. deal — to handle
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fork — in a road
  23. capital — money
  24. court — of law

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