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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. suit — in cards
  4. land — ground
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. court — of law
  7. scale — in music
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fall — the season
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fall — to drop
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. suit — clothes
  16. swing — music
  17. court — of a king
  18. suit — to fit
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — to come down
  22. court — for sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. swing — in golf

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