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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: date · key · court · cold · calf · track · chip · kick

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chip — for betting
  3. court — of a king
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. track — to keep track
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. chip — to eat
  8. date — the fruit
  9. track — a song
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. court — of law
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. key — in music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. kick — in football
  18. cold — not warm
  19. track — a path
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. key — for a lock

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