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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. spring — a coil
  5. court — for sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. club — a group
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. court — of a king
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — the season
  17. club — for golf
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. court — of law
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ball — a dance
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spring — of water

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