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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 116 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: pound · bear · court · cell · land · mate · suit · sharp

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — ground
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. land — a country
  10. mate — a friend
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. land — to come down
  13. court — of law
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pound — a weight
  16. court — of a king
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. court — for sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cell — in biology

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