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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. club — for dancing
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spell — letters
  5. club — a group
  6. court — of a king
  7. land — to come down
  8. spring — the season
  9. club — for golf
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. land — ground
  13. spell — magic
  14. key — the most important part
  15. spring — of water
  16. court — of law
  17. spell — a short time
  18. court — for sport
  19. land — a country
  20. chip — for betting
  21. key — in music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chip — to eat
  24. key — for a lock

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