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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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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: bay · last · court · land · mug · roll · pass · lie

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. last — finally
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. last — final
  12. roll — a list
  13. land — ground
  14. court — of law
  15. last — to go on
  16. mug — a cup
  17. court — of a king
  18. land — a country
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — to come down
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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