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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. firm — a company
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cap — a lid
  10. file — a document
  11. court — for sport
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. clip — to cut
  14. file — a tool
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cap — a hat
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mine — for digging
  22. court — of a king
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. cap — of ice

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