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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. row — to paddle
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. court — of law
  11. cell — in biology
  12. charge — a price
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. court — for sport
  15. land — ground
  16. cell — a phone
  17. court — of a king
  18. toast — bread
  19. charge — electricity
  20. land — to come down
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. charge — in control
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. land — a country

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