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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. land — ground
  3. court — of a king
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. deal — to handle
  10. track — a path
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. court — for sport
  21. track — a song
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. track — to keep track

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