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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. ball — a great time
  5. board — to get on
  6. roll — a cake
  7. spring — of water
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spring — the season
  12. ball — a dance
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. last — to go on
  16. roll — a list
  17. court — of a king
  18. board — a committee
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. court — for sport
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. court — of law

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