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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. chip — to eat
  3. land — to come down
  4. march — the month
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. court — for sport
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. land — a country
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. wake — a trail
  15. march — the month
  16. object — to protest
  17. cell — a phone
  18. object — an aim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. march — music
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — ground
  24. object — a thing

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