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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. kick — in football
  6. tube — the underground
  7. roll — a list
  8. land — to come down
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. land — ground
  11. court — of a king
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. court — of law
  14. roll — a cake
  15. suit — to fit
  16. land — a country
  17. tube — a container
  18. suit — in cards
  19. row — a line
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pop — music
  24. row — a quarrel

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