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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pit — in a race
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. ball — a dance
  12. court — of law
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. last — final
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chip — for betting
  19. branch — a division
  20. last — finally
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. court — of a king
  23. pit — a hole
  24. last — to go on

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