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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bulb — for light
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. drill — a practice
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. date — the fruit
  10. court — of law
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — army training
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. court — of a king
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bulb — for light
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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