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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. land — ground
  7. pit — in a race
  8. court — of a king
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. land — a country
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. game — a match
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — wild animals
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. present — a gift
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pit — a hole

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