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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. firm — a company
  3. chip — for betting
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. court — of a king
  6. chip — to eat
  7. firm — steady
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. bore — to drill
  11. roll — a list
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fine — all right
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. roll — a cake
  17. game — a match
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. firm — decided
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fine — a penalty

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