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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tear — to rip
  3. land — to come down
  4. clip — a video
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cue — a signal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tear — from crying
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. swing — music
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — a country
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bank — of a river
  19. clip — to cut
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. land — ground
  24. pass — a permit

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