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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. court — of a king
  5. track — to keep track
  6. game — a match
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. track — a path
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. court — for sport
  19. track — a song
  20. swing — music
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. swing — to play on

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