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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chip — for betting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. court — for sport
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. court — of law
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chip — to eat
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. tube — a container
  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