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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. land — a country
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — in cards
  8. land — ground
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mark — a grade
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. march — music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. hand — help
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bowl — a football final

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