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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. court — of a king
  3. fine — high quality
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. track — a path
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fine — all right
  10. track — to keep track
  11. land — to come down
  12. file — a document
  13. net — in sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. net — after costs
  16. tube — a container
  17. track — a song
  18. net — for catching
  19. land — a country
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. court — for sport
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. court — of law

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