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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. march — music
  17. court — for sport
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. march — the month
  23. board — to get on
  24. rash — a series

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