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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · wound · fork · rash · saw · chip · tube · cap

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fork — in a road
  3. chip — for betting
  4. tube — a container
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. court — of law
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. court — of a king
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chip — to eat
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cap — of ice

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