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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chip — for betting
  3. root — of a word
  4. ball — a dance
  5. root — the cause
  6. net — for catching
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. court — of law
  14. root — of a plant
  15. court — of a king
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. row — to paddle
  18. net — in sport
  19. chip — to eat
  20. net — after costs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — for sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. prune — to trim

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