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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. land — to come down
  5. court — for sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mate — to breed
  9. court — of law
  10. key — the most important part
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. land — a country
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. key — in music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. dip — to sink
  20. court — of a king
  21. land — ground
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. key — for a lock

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