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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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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 is in your ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. shower — rain
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. last — to go on
  8. land — to come down
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. last — finally
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. land — ground
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. last — final
  21. land — a country
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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