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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: wake · chip · court · firm · object · staff · bat · suit

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. object — to protest
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. suit — in cards
  7. court — for sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chip — for betting
  12. court — of law
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. suit — to fit
  15. firm — decided
  16. object — an aim
  17. firm — steady
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. firm — a company
  21. suit — clothes
  22. court — of a king
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. object — a thing

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