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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. date — the fruit
  3. land — to come down
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — of law
  6. staff — employees
  7. cue — for pool
  8. land — ground
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cue — a signal
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. staff — a stick
  14. drill — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. drill — army training
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cue — a hint
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. court — for sport
  23. land — a country
  24. stand — to bear

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