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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.

Make a worksheet

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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. court — of law
  3. object — a thing
  4. row — to paddle
  5. march — music
  6. court — for sport
  7. row — a line
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — of a king
  12. march — the month
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. object — to protest
  16. land — to come down
  17. staff — employees
  18. march — the month
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. object — an aim
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. safe — out of danger

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