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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. board — to get on
  6. chip — for betting
  7. board — a committee
  8. last — to go on
  9. court — of a king
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. court — of law
  15. last — final
  16. court — for sport
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. ball — a dance
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. ball — a great time
  23. last — finally
  24. bay — a horse colour

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