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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. season — in sport
  3. present — there
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. present — a gift
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. capital — money
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. season — of the year
  11. capital — a city
  12. present — the time now
  13. fine — all right
  14. chip — for betting
  15. content — happy
  16. race — humankind
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. race — the arms race
  20. chip — to eat
  21. court — of law
  22. content — the amount
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. fine — high quality

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