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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. current — of water
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. current — happening now
  6. lean — to bend
  7. present — a gift
  8. court — of law
  9. chip — to eat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. present — there
  12. ball — a great time
  13. cell — in biology
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. court — for sport
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cell — a phone
  19. present — the time now
  20. court — of a king
  21. lean — thin
  22. current — electric
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. chip — for betting

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