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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of a king
  4. swing — music
  5. spring — of water
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. swing — in golf
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. court — for sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. court — of law
  19. swing — to play on
  20. game — a match
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. charge — in control

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