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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. net — after costs
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spring — the season
  9. net — in sport
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. spring — of water
  13. chest — a box
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. net — for catching
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. court — of law
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bowl — a dish

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