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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. land — a country
  3. court — of law
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. tear — from crying
  8. march — the month
  9. land — ground
  10. tear — from crying
  11. court — of a king
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. land — to come down
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. tear — to rip
  18. march — music
  19. mug — a face
  20. court — for sport
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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