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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. scale — in music
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chip — for betting
  9. board — to get on
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. land — to come down
  15. board — a committee
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chip — to eat
  18. land — a country
  19. mate — to breed
  20. court — of law
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. land — ground
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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