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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. land — to come down
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. land — ground
  11. rash — a series
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. present — there
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — of law
  16. present — a gift
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rash — hasty
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. land — a country
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fan — a supporter

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