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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fine — high quality
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. hand — in cards
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. court — for sport
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. hand — help
  12. ball — a dance
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ball — a great time
  19. land — to come down
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. court — of law
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fine — all right
  24. court — of a king

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