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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.

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: chip · hide · court · jam · bore · file · game · degree

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chip — for betting
  3. file — a tool
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. court — of law
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bore — to drill
  10. degree — an amount
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. file — a document
  13. degree — from a university
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. degree — temperature
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. game — a match
  18. court — for sport
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. court — of a king
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bore — to tire
  24. game — wild animals

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