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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. key — in music
  3. land — a country
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — of a king
  6. track — a song
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. track — a path
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. plane — a tool
  16. land — ground
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. court — of law
  24. land — to come down

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