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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. present — the time now
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fine — all right
  7. court — of a king
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. land — a country
  12. court — for sport
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. court — of law
  17. present — a gift
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pass — a permit
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. present — there
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wave — with your hand

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