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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 · bank · chip · game · ground · pop · calf · row

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pop — soda
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. row — a line
  9. chip — for betting
  10. court — of law
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — for sport
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bank — for money
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pop — to visit
  20. game — a match
  21. pop — music
  22. bank — for money
  23. court — of a king
  24. ground — a position

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