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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: can · court · vault · fork · leaves · hand · chip · cell

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. court — for sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. hand — help
  10. court — of law
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. vault — a safe
  19. cell — in biology
  20. court — of a king
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. chip — to eat
  23. can — to be able to
  24. fork — in a road

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