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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. land — to come down
  3. court — of law
  4. staff — employees
  5. land — a country
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. court — for sport
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. staff — a stick
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. court — of a king
  18. object — an aim
  19. bank — for money
  20. staff — employees
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. object — a thing
  24. land — ground

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