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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. court — of a king
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. season — in sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. court — for sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — of law
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — a country
  23. season — of the year
  24. pit — a hole

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