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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. court — for sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pit — a hole
  8. court — of a king
  9. object — a thing
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bank — for money
  13. court — of law
  14. bank — for money
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cold — an illness
  17. object — to protest
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. object — an aim
  20. rule — government
  21. bank — of a river
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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