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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pit — in a race
  4. current — happening now
  5. rash — a series
  6. court — for sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pit — a hole
  12. court — of a king
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. scale — in music
  17. chip — to eat
  18. scale — size or range
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. court — of law
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. scale — for weighing

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