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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. land — a country
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. can — a tin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. last — final
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. court — of a king
  9. can — a tin
  10. last — to go on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. court — of law
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. court — for sport
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. chair — a leader
  19. land — ground
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. land — to come down
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. can — to be able to

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