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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. game — a match
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of a king
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. land — a country
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. land — to come down
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wind — moving air
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. court — of law
  23. land — ground
  24. court — for sport

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