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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bass — the fish
  3. fall — to drop
  4. court — for sport
  5. bass — low music
  6. chip — to eat
  7. court — of law
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. game — wild animals
  11. key — for a lock
  12. chip — for betting
  13. key — the most important part
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fall — the season
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. court — of a king
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. key — in music

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