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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cold — not warm
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. court — for sport
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. court — of a king
  9. rash — a series
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. root — of a word
  19. court — of law
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cold — an illness
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mark — a trace

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