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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — for sport
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pit — a hole
  11. squash — to crush
  12. tube — the underground
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. content — the amount
  16. pit — in a race
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. court — of a king
  21. content — happy
  22. tube — a container
  23. wax — to grow
  24. squash — the vegetable

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