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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. sharp — clever
  3. court — for sport
  4. land — to come down
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. court — of a king
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. tube — the underground
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. drill — army training
  15. can — a tin
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. can — a tin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. court — of law
  22. tube — a container
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. can — to be able to

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