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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · pit · fall · court · cabinet · fine · track · land

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fall — to drop
  4. track — a song
  5. court — of law
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fall — the season
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. track — a path
  16. court — for sport
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. fall — to drop
  22. land — to come down
  23. court — of a king
  24. fine — all right

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