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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. land — to come down
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mark — a grade
  8. sharp — clever
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bass — low music
  15. rock — music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. charge — in control
  22. court — of law
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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