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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — for betting
  4. net — for catching
  5. spring — a coil
  6. object — a thing
  7. spring — of water
  8. court — for sport
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chip — to eat
  11. spring — the season
  12. bass — low music
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. court — of a king
  15. object — to protest
  16. bank — for money
  17. bass — the fish
  18. net — after costs
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bank — of a river
  21. net — in sport
  22. snap — to click
  23. object — an aim
  24. bank — for money

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