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

Word bank: court · dip · kid · bay · bank · land · firm · spell

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. kid — to tease
  3. court — for sport
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. spell — magic
  8. land — ground
  9. bank — for money
  10. court — of a king
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. firm — steady
  13. land — a country
  14. kid — child
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. court — of law
  20. land — to come down
  21. firm — decided
  22. spell — letters
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. dip — to sink

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