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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. court — of a king
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rest — what's left
  8. court — of law
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. land — a country
  12. court — for sport
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rest — a break
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. land — to come down
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cell — a phone
  21. land — ground
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. leaves — to go away

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