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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. land — ground
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. court — for sport
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. present — the time now
  8. mug — a face
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mark — a trace
  13. court — of law
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mug — to rob
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mug — a cup
  18. court — of a king
  19. present — there
  20. mark — a grade
  21. dip — to sink
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. dip — to dunk

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