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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. court — of law
  3. season — in sport
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. staff — employees
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. staff — employees
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — of the year
  12. land — a country
  13. court — for sport
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. staff — a stick
  17. file — a tool
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. bank — of a river
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mark — a trace
  24. file — a document

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