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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chip — for betting
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stock — shares
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. court — for sport
  17. game — a match
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. court — of a king
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. mark — a trace

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