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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. firm — decided
  3. land — a country
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. firm — a company
  7. suit — clothes
  8. land — ground
  9. mug — to rob
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mug — a cup
  13. court — of a king
  14. perch — the fish
  15. suit — in cards
  16. march — music
  17. firm — steady
  18. march — the month
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. march — the month
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mug — a face
  24. pass — to succeed

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