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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pass — a permit
  4. swing — to play on
  5. court — of a king
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pit — a hole
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. court — for sport
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. land — to come down
  16. court — of law
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. land — ground
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chest — a box

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