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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. season — of the year
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. court — for sport
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. season — in sport
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stem — to come from
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — a match
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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