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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 124 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. court — of a king
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chip — to eat
  5. key — the most important part
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. key — in music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. chip — for betting
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — the season
  22. land — to come down
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bat — the animal

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