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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 · temple · clip · chip · drill · cue · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — to eat
  4. spell — a short time
  5. clip — a video
  6. can — to be able to
  7. court — of a king
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. drill — army training
  11. court — for sport
  12. clip — to cut
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cue — a hint
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cue — for pool
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spell — letters
  22. chip — for betting
  23. drill — a practice
  24. temple — a place of worship

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