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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. chip — for betting
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. suit — clothes
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. court — for sport
  9. suit — to fit
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. court — of law
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. chip — to eat
  14. land — ground
  15. band — a ring
  16. court — of a king
  17. suit — in cards
  18. band — a music group

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