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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. court — of a king
  5. hand — help
  6. drill — army training
  7. spell — magic
  8. season — of the year
  9. spell — letters
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chip — to eat
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — for sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — a short time
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. court — of law
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. drill — a practice
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. chip — in a computer

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