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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chip — to eat
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. key — in music
  12. cap — a lid
  13. scale — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chip — for betting
  23. key — for a lock
  24. game — a match

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