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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. object — a thing
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chair — a leader
  6. land — a country
  7. craft — boats
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. craft — a skill
  11. land — to come down
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. court — of law
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. land — ground
  24. lie — an untruth

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