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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. staff — employees
  3. court — of law
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — ground
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. court — of a king
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. court — for sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. land — to come down
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. leaves — 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