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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. scale — size or range
  6. spring — of water
  7. fine — high quality
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fine — all right
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lean — thin
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. court — for sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chip — to eat
  19. scale — in music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. spring — the season
  24. lean — to rest against

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