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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. safe — out of danger
  3. pass — a permit
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. staff — employees
  6. land — a country
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. object — an aim
  12. land — to come down
  13. staff — employees
  14. court — of a king
  15. staff — a stick
  16. season — of the year
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rash — hasty
  19. object — a thing
  20. land — ground
  21. rash — a series
  22. season — in sport
  23. object — to protest
  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