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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. court — of law
  3. firm — a company
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. land — to come down
  6. court — of a king
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lean — thin
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. land — ground
  13. perch — the fish
  14. lean — to bend
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. club — a group
  17. cold — not warm
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. court — for sport
  22. firm — steady
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. firm — decided

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