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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mark — a trace
  4. court — of a king
  5. wake — a trail
  6. land — to come down
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. land — a country
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. court — of law
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. court — for sport
  24. mark — a grade

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