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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. court — of a king
  7. rule — a law
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. firm — decided
  11. rule — government
  12. firm — steady
  13. game — wild animals
  14. firm — a company
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hand — help
  17. court — for sport
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. fine — all right
  20. court — of law
  21. hand — in cards
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rule — to rule out

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