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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. court — of a king
  5. row — a line
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fall — the season
  8. chip — for betting
  9. court — for sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rule — government
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. chip — to eat
  22. court — of law
  23. rule — a law
  24. fall — to drop

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