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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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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: track · swing · tear · court · board · chip · cell · hide

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — to eat
  4. track — to keep track
  5. court — of a king
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. cell — in biology
  10. track — a song
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — in golf
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. track — a path
  16. court — for sport
  17. swing — to play on
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cell — a phone
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. swing — music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hide — to keep secret

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