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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. court — of a king
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. land — ground
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rash — a series
  8. fall — the season
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mug — a face
  11. fall — to drop
  12. court — for sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mug — a cup
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fall — to drop
  22. land — to come down
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. court — of law

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