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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. court — for sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. firm — decided
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — of a king
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. staff — employees
  15. band — a music group
  16. game — a match
  17. court — of law
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. chip — to eat
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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