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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. shower — to wash
  4. land — ground
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pit — in a race
  8. net — after costs
  9. court — for sport
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. net — for catching
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. court — of law
  17. season — of the year
  18. court — of a king
  19. shower — rain
  20. season — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. net — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mug — a face

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