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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · land · court · sharp · perch · rule · mate · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. mate — to breed
  3. land — a country
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rule — government
  6. object — an aim
  7. land — to come down
  8. mate — a partner
  9. sharp — clever
  10. field — farmland
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. field — a subject
  14. court — of law
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. object — to protest
  17. field — for sport
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. court — of a king
  20. land — ground
  21. rule — a law
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. court — for sport
  24. mate — a friend

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