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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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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. toast — bread
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. court — of law
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. game — a match
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. game — wild animals
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chip — to eat
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. court — of a king

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