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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 124 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. court — for sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. court — of a king
  5. march — the month
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. land — to come down
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. march — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. march — the month
  17. firm — steady
  18. court — of law
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. land — a country
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. firm — a company

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