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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. file — a line of people
  4. court — for sport
  5. pass — a permit
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. file — a document
  8. court — of a king
  9. file — a tool
  10. fine — all right
  11. land — a country
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. land — ground
  15. lean — thin
  16. content — happy
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. land — to come down
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. kick — in football
  22. fine — high quality
  23. content — the amount
  24. lean — to bend

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