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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. chip — for betting
  3. net — for catching
  4. chip — to eat
  5. game — a match
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. suit — clothes
  8. court — for sport
  9. cap — a lid
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. suit — to fit
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. net — after costs
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. court — of a king
  18. suit — in cards
  19. court — of law
  20. net — in sport
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. tube — a container
  24. object — a thing

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