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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. charge — in control
  5. court — of law
  6. pop — soda
  7. key — for a lock
  8. clip — to cut
  9. charge — a price
  10. pop — music
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. key — in music
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. key — the most important part
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. chip — for betting
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. chip — to eat

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