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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ball — a great time
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. deal — to handle
  7. court — of a king
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rule — government
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. file — a document
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rule — a law
  15. court — of law
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chip — to eat
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chip — for betting
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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