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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. game — wild animals
  5. court — of law
  6. cue — a hint
  7. net — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. charge — in control
  11. chest — of your body
  12. court — for sport
  13. charge — a price
  14. season — in sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cue — a signal
  17. court — of a king
  18. game — a match
  19. swing — in golf
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. charge — electricity
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cue — for pool
  24. swing — music

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