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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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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 · ruler · court · deal · bear · cell · roll · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. court — of law
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. court — for sport
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. court — of a king
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bear — the animal
  17. roll — a list
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. roll — a cake
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cell — in a prison

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