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

Word bank: cap · band · chip · fall · snap · object · court · net

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. court — of a king
  3. snap — to click
  4. court — of law
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cap — of ice
  8. court — for sport
  9. fall — the season
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. object — to protest
  14. chip — for betting
  15. object — an aim
  16. band — a music group
  17. net — in sport
  18. chip — to eat
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cap — a hat
  23. object — a thing
  24. cap — a lid

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