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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chip — to eat
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. court — of law
  8. fall — to drop
  9. key — for a lock
  10. chip — for betting
  11. game — a match
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. court — for sport
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fall — the season
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rest — a break
  23. game — wild animals
  24. kick — in football

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