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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. board — to get on
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. court — of a king
  8. chip — to eat
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pit — a hole
  12. content — happy
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — a break
  16. court — of law
  17. swing — music
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. board — a committee
  21. court — for sport
  22. pit — in a race
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rest — what's left

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