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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chip — for betting
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. track — a song
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. track — a path
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. march — the month
  20. pop — soda
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pop — to visit
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pop — music

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