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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. object — an aim
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. club — a group
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. court — of law
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spring — a coil
  12. object — to protest
  13. club — for dancing
  14. land — a country
  15. object — a thing
  16. court — for sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. spring — the season
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — for golf
  22. chip — to eat
  23. current — happening now
  24. spring — of water

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