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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. chip — for betting
  3. scale — in music
  4. spell — letters
  5. tear — from crying
  6. court — of a king
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. spell — magic
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rule — a law
  14. court — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. rule — government
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spell — a short time
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. mark — a trace
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. tear — to rip

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