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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. court — of a king
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. court — of law
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. hand — help
  13. pop — to visit
  14. plane — a tool
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pop — soda
  20. hand — in cards
  21. court — for sport
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pop — music
  24. squash — the vegetable

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