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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. net — after costs
  5. court — of a king
  6. swing — music
  7. court — of law
  8. net — for catching
  9. pop — to visit
  10. swing — in golf
  11. net — in sport
  12. pop — music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. court — for sport
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pop — soda
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. lean — thin
  23. rock — music
  24. chip — for betting

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