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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rule — government
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. land — a country
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. land — to come down
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. toast — bread
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. court — of law
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. court — of a king
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. land — ground
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rule — a law
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cell — a phone

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