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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. ground — a position
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bear — the animal
  7. march — the month
  8. chip — for betting
  9. ground — crushed
  10. march — music
  11. court — of law
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. game — a match
  17. stand — to bear
  18. march — the month
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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