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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. land — to come down
  4. court — for sport
  5. hand — help
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — of a king
  8. cell — a phone
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. land — ground
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. land — a country
  17. court — of law
  18. can — to be able to
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. can — a tin
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cell — in biology

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