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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. content — happy
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. game — wild animals
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. court — of law
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. snap — to click
  16. content — the amount
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. vault — a safe
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wake — a trail
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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