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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. court — for sport
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cell — a phone
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mark — a trace
  19. court — of law
  20. club — a group
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. chip — for betting

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