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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chip — to eat
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pop — music
  10. mark — a trace
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — soda
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chip — for betting
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. season — of the year
  17. court — of law
  18. season — in sport
  19. court — for sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. mark — a grade

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