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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: chip · ground · band · stick · nail · court · rush · cabinet

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rush — hurry
  4. court — of law
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. band — a music group
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. court — of a king
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. band — a ring
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. ground — a position
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. court — for sport

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