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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. court — of law
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fall — to drop
  5. court — of a king
  6. key — for a lock
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. court — for sport
  9. land — to come down
  10. fall — to drop
  11. key — in music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fall — the season
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. mark — a grade
  20. land — ground
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. march — the month

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