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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.

Make a worksheet

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: nail · kid · lie · spell · chip · court · bass · file

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. kid — to tease
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. spell — magic
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bass — low music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kid — child
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a document
  18. bass — the fish
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. court — for sport
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. file — a tool
  24. spell — letters

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