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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. land — ground
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — of law
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — a series
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. land — to come down
  24. court — for sport

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