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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — government
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chip — to eat
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chip — for betting
  14. court — of a king
  15. mark — a trace
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. shower — to wash
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mark — a grade
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rule — a law
  24. shower — rain

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