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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. last — to go on
  4. mark — a trace
  5. last — final
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lean — thin
  8. land — ground
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mate — a friend
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. land — a country
  18. court — for sport
  19. last — finally
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. land — to come down
  22. lean — to bend
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mate — to breed

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