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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. court — of a king
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — the cause
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. court — for sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. kick — in football
  10. land — ground
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lean — thin
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. root — of a word
  17. lean — to bend
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. land — to come down
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. court — of law

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