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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — of law
  4. land — ground
  5. bound — tied together
  6. land — a country
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bound — certain
  11. court — for sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bound — obliged
  18. saw — the tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cabinet — ministers

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