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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chip — to eat
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. pop — to visit
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mug — a cup
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mug — a face
  20. pop — soda
  21. court — of a king
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pop — music

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