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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — ground
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. land — to come down
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. land — a country
  14. mine — for digging
  15. court — of a king
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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