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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 120 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 · chip · suit · bear · nail · pop · spell · swing

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. spell — a short time
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spell — letters
  6. chip — to eat
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pop — soda
  10. bear — the animal
  11. suit — clothes
  12. court — for sport
  13. suit — in cards
  14. court — of a king
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — for betting
  18. spell — magic
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. court — of law
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pop — to visit
  23. swing — music
  24. pop — music

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