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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — what's left
  8. court — of law
  9. mine — for digging
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rest — a break
  14. pit — in a race
  15. court — of a king
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — a match
  19. spell — letters
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. court — for sport
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mine — belonging to me

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