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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. court — of law
  4. scale — in music
  5. rest — a break
  6. cue — a hint
  7. can — a tin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. court — for sport
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cue — a signal
  12. court — of a king
  13. land — a country
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — to come down
  17. scale — size or range
  18. can — to be able to
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chip — in a computer

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