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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. land — ground
  7. court — of law
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. court — for sport
  13. land — to come down
  14. court — of a king
  15. mark — a grade
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. date — the fruit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mark — a trace
  22. land — a country
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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