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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of a king
  5. press — newspapers
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. game — wild animals
  8. can — to be able to
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. game — a match
  11. chip — for betting
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chip — to eat
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. content — the amount
  16. object — an aim
  17. can — a tin
  18. content — happy
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. court — for sport
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chip — in a computer
  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