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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. land — a country
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. court — of law
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bound — tied together
  7. land — to come down
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bat — the animal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. track — a path
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. court — of a king
  16. land — ground
  17. court — for sport
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lie — to recline
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bound — certain
  24. track — a song

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