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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. court — of law
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wake — a trail
  6. court — for sport
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cell — in biology
  15. foot — a measure
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chip — to eat
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — a list
  20. court — of a king
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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