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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: pop · branch · court · cell · chip · bound · chair · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. squash — to crush
  5. court — for sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pop — soda
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. branch — a division
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. court — of a king
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. court — of law

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