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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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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 · bulb · band · chip · file · season · stick · dip

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. season — of the year
  5. chip — for betting
  6. dip — to sink
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. file — a document
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. band — a ring
  11. file — a tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bulb — for light
  15. season — in sport
  16. court — of law
  17. chip — to eat
  18. court — of a king
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. court — for sport
  24. band — a music group

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