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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cap — a hat
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. band — a music group
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. court — of law
  8. chip — for betting
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spell — letters
  11. cap — a lid
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. court — for sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cap — of ice
  18. spell — a short time
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. chip — to eat
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. game — a match
  23. court — of a king
  24. spell — magic

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