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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. court — of a king
  6. land — ground
  7. court — for sport
  8. bank — for money
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — of the year
  11. land — to come down
  12. bank — of a river
  13. court — of law
  14. content — happy
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bank — for money

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