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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. content — the amount
  3. ball — a dance
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pop — music
  7. file — a document
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pop — soda
  11. key — in music
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chip — to eat
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. key — the most important part
  18. content — happy
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. vault — a safe
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — wild animals
  24. file — a tool

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