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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: chest · bore · chip · bass · fine · row · court · roll

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. roll — a cake
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. chest — a box
  7. court — of law
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fine — all right
  13. chip — to eat
  14. row — a line
  15. chest — of your body
  16. roll — a list
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bass — the fish
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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