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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ball — a dance
  6. season — in sport
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mine — for digging
  10. court — of law
  11. chip — for betting
  12. march — the month
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. march — the month
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. court — of a king
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. march — music
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chip — to eat

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