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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. chip — for betting
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. clip — to cut
  6. court — of law
  7. pitch — completely
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. court — for sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. clip — for paper
  15. court — of a king
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chip — to eat
  19. clip — a video
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wax — to grow

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