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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chip — for betting
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. court — for sport
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. stand — to bear
  9. net — after costs
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chip — to eat
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. roll — a list
  19. net — for catching
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. net — in sport
  24. stand — on your feet

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