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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 116 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. court — of a king
  4. object — to protest
  5. shower — rain
  6. chip — for betting
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. object — an aim
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chip — to eat
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spring — the season
  15. object — a thing
  16. board — a committee
  17. court — for sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. board — to get on
  20. spring — of water
  21. court — of law
  22. squash — to crush
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chip — in a computer

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