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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. suit — clothes
  3. race — humankind
  4. court — of a king
  5. land — ground
  6. clip — to cut
  7. court — for sport
  8. land — a country
  9. court — of law
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. suit — to fit
  12. stand — to bear
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. clip — a video
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. land — to come down
  19. clip — for paper
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bark — of a tree

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