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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — the month
  3. court — of a king
  4. suit — clothes
  5. march — music
  6. land — ground
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. land — to come down
  15. bound — obliged
  16. staff — a stick
  17. court — of law
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bear — the animal
  20. suit — in cards
  21. march — the month
  22. land — a country
  23. court — for sport
  24. staff — employees

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