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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: bear · chair · nail · mate · mark · land · drill · court

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mark — a trace
  4. court — of law
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mate — to breed
  8. drill — army training
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mark — a grade
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. court — for sport
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. court — of a king
  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