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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chip — to eat
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. land — a country
  8. cue — a signal
  9. race — a contest
  10. ball — a dance
  11. race — humankind
  12. land — to come down
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cue — a hint
  21. chip — for betting
  22. court — of a king
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. chip — in a computer

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