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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. court — for sport
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. field — a subject
  8. court — of a king
  9. field — for sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. staff — employees
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. key — in music
  17. field — farmland
  18. court — of law
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. key — for a lock
  23. land — a country
  24. bass — the fish

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