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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. land — ground
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. march — music
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. face — to point toward
  9. land — to come down
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. court — of law
  15. land — a country
  16. court — of a king
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pop — music
  19. face — to confront
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. court — for sport
  24. pop — to visit

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