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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · season · game · court · rock · craft · chip · mine

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. craft — boats
  3. chip — to eat
  4. staff — employees
  5. rock — music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. court — of a king
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. court — for sport
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. game — a match
  16. craft — a skill
  17. staff — employees
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. staff — a stick
  23. court — of law
  24. season — of the year

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