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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. staff — employees
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. court — of law
  5. chip — for betting
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chip — to eat
  10. court — for sport
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kid — to tease
  13. stock — goods
  14. squash — to crush
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. ball — a great time
  18. net — for catching
  19. court — of a king
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stock — shares
  23. net — after costs
  24. kid — child

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