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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. game — a match
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. court — of law
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. chip — for betting
  11. game — wild animals
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. court — for sport
  14. drill — army training
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. drill — a practice
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. court — of a king
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cell — a phone

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