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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. present — there
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cell — a phone
  5. march — music
  6. board — to get on
  7. present — the time now
  8. board — a committee
  9. kid — child
  10. court — of a king
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cell — in biology
  13. court — for sport
  14. march — the month
  15. cue — a hint
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. court — of law
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. present — a gift
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — to eat

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