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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. land — a country
  3. court — for sport
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. last — to go on
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. land — to come down
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. court — of a king
  14. land — ground
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mug — a face
  17. band — a ring
  18. last — final
  19. court — of law
  20. mug — to rob
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — a hole
  23. band — a music group
  24. mug — a cup

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