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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. land — a country
  3. court — of law
  4. race — humankind
  5. key — in music
  6. charge — a price
  7. net — for catching
  8. land — ground
  9. court — of a king
  10. key — for a lock
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. net — in sport
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. race — the arms race
  18. net — after costs
  19. race — a contest
  20. court — for sport
  21. key — the most important part
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — electricity
  24. leaves — lets stay

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