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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bound — certain
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. court — of law
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bass — low music
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hand — help
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ground — crushed
  14. court — of a king
  15. ground — a position
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bound — obliged
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. court — for sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. net — in sport
  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