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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. court — of law
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cell — a phone
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. spell — letters
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bank — of a river
  24. spell — magic

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