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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. band — a music group
  4. track — a song
  5. dip — to sink
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. race — humankind
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. fine — high quality
  12. chip — to eat
  13. court — for sport
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chip — for betting
  20. track — a path
  21. race — a contest
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. race — the arms race

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