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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. present — a gift
  3. court — of a king
  4. fine — all right
  5. court — for sport
  6. fine — high quality
  7. land — a country
  8. court — of law
  9. mate — a friend
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stand — to bear
  12. track — a path
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. track — a song
  16. mate — a partner
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. vault — a safe
  20. present — the time now
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — ground
  23. present — there
  24. land — to come down

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