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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. court — for sport
  3. date — the fruit
  4. tube — the underground
  5. chest — a box
  6. current — happening now
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. current — of water
  9. land — to come down
  10. court — of a king
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. land — a country
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. tube — a container
  16. current — electric
  17. court — of law
  18. land — ground
  19. chest — of your body
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pass — to spend time

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