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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. chip — for betting
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. game — wild animals
  6. content — happy
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — the amount
  12. chip — to eat
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. land — a country
  15. rule — a law
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. game — a match
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rule — government
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. land — ground
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — to come down

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