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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. court — of a king
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pound — a weight
  5. swing — to play on
  6. scale — in music
  7. roll — a list
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chip — for betting
  12. swing — music
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. court — for sport
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. court — of law

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