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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. land — ground
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. staff — employees
  7. march — music
  8. net — in sport
  9. land — to come down
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. land — a country
  15. net — after costs
  16. court — of law
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. march — the month
  20. stem — to come from
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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