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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 124 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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. roll — a cake
  5. board — to get on
  6. last — to go on
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. last — finally
  10. pit — a hole
  11. court — of a king
  12. present — the time now
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chip — for betting
  15. board — a committee
  16. roll — a list
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. last — final
  24. date — the fruit

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