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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. court — for sport
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. land — ground
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pass — a permit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. land — a country
  9. mate — a partner
  10. court — of law
  11. hand — in cards
  12. land — to come down
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. last — to go on
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rash — a series
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. last — final
  20. mate — to breed
  21. court — of a king
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pass — to succeed

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