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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 computer ________________ on the table.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cap — a hat
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. rock — music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. can — a tin
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. field — farmland
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chip — for betting
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rock — a stone
  20. court — of a king
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. can — a tin

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