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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: cell · stand · track · land · court · ground · lean · deal

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. land — a country
  3. lean — to bend
  4. ground — crushed
  5. court — of law
  6. lean — thin
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. deal — to handle
  10. court — for sport
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. track — a song
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. court — of a king
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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