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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. land — ground
  3. court — of a king
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lie — to recline
  7. stand — to bear
  8. key — in music
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pop — music
  12. cell — in biology
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — a country
  15. court — of law
  16. pop — to visit
  17. land — to come down
  18. court — for sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pop — soda

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